January 4, 2022 / 2 Shevat 5782

Dear Mount Zion Community,

Our last communication regarding Covid-19 was last summer when we began meeting in person for Shabbat evenings and Shabbat mornings with B’nei Mitzvah, all with improved live-streaming and Zoom connections. 

We were able to navigate the Fall surge in cases due to the Delta variant with minimal changes in our protocols. 

Now as we face the Omicron variant with our already high case numbers in Minnesota, we are taking a proactive step in pausing most in-person gatherings for the month of January. 

• Friday night Shabbat services will be online only via live-streaming and Zoom. Clergy and musicians will officiate from Mount Zion or home.
• Our Religious School Chai School (Grades 7-12) classes that had been meeting in person will be online.
• We will continue to hold life cycle events in person including B’nei Mitzvah services. As always, online options will be available. 

We are taking these measures because we can do so successfully. We can help reduce the community spread of Covid and the stress in our hospitals without sacrificing our ability to connect with each other. We will still meet in person for life cycle events, with additional mitigation measures such as requiring upgraded masks, because people have planned travel for these singular life moments and we are not in a “stay at home” mandate. We will reassess toward the end of January.

Throughout this pandemic, we have been guided by Jewish values listed in our March 2021 letter. One of these values is:

• Chesed “Profound Love and Kindness”: Decisions around our operations and the risks involved create uncertainty, grief, and anxiety. Each of us will have different comfort levels. We will act with tremendous love and kindness toward each other.

Please continue to reach out to each other especially in these winter months as many may feel isolated. We pray that the measures and decisions that are beyond our control will move us to the end of this pandemic. Until then, we will do our part.

L’shalom,



Michael Wall, President

Phil Goldman, Chair, Opening Task Force

Sue Summit, Religious School Director

Larry Solomon, Executive Director

Adam Stock Spilker, Rabbi 

The Opening Task Force members (with their expertise): Phil Goldman, Chair (legal, OSHA/industrial hygiene); Ian Ellis (corporate facilities manager); David Knapp (safety and security); Dr. Gary Kravitz (public health, infectious disease practitioner); Julie Ostrowsky (epidemiology); Joan Ostrove (inclusion and accessibility); Neil Segal (operations, Ames Center performance venue); Michael Wall (President), Larry Solomon, Sue Summit, and Rabbi Spilker

COVID-19 Safety Tips

For testing: find a site near you or order a free test to your home

What to do if you are sick or test positive

Support your mental well-being during this time