June 10, 2020 / 18 Sivan 5780

Dear Mount Zion Community, 

We miss seeing you in person! In a time such as this, it is not easy to determine when we can gather together physically in a way that both honors the sacred work we do and also prioritizes the health and safety of each one of us.

We write with a decision to keep Mount Zion's services and core activities online for the immediate future. Our Reopening Task Force, chaired by past-president Phil Goldman, is working on a phased-reopening plan that will be shared by the end of July. In the meantime, some access to the building is possible if needed. Please be in touch with Larry Solomon to arrange.

Covid-19 has changed our world in ways that will take months, years, or longer to fully understand. Our world is still learning about transmission and treatment. Each week brings more insight. We know that we will not operate as usual until there is a vaccine and, even then, things will be different. Mount Zion’s response will be based on science and our values. Our state’s regulations will tell us the outer limit of what is allowed, and we will coordinate as much as possible with our wider Jewish community. At the end of May, the Minnesota Rabbinical Association unanimously articulated this position of staying closed even as Governor Walz expanded the possibility of gatherings for houses of worship.

As hard as it is to say, we already know that we will have to reimagine the High Holy Days. While we will take as much time as we can to determine what is possible, there will be limitations. We will be in touch during the summer to ask for your input as we seek to meet your expectations and create services and experiences that are holy and transcendent, connective and uplifting, relevant and soul-enriching.

As we plan a phased reopening, here are our guiding values:

  • Pikuach Nefesh “Safeguarding Life” is a bedrock Jewish principle and supersedes most other obligations / mitzvot. Any steps toward restoring physical proximity will place preserving life first and foremost.
  • A corollary value is avoiding Sakanat Nefeshot “Endangering Life”. We will not put congregants, staff, and clergy in positions where they will be unduly endangering their own lives or the lives of their families due to pressure to restore activities.
  • Al Tifrosh Min Ha Tzibbur “Do not separate oneself from the community” means that we value inclusion and recognize that some people will not be able to return to our building because of health concerns and some will choose not to, until there is a vaccine. This value will help us move slowly toward reopening and assure that all plans continue to have online ways to connect.
  • 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.

In these past months, we have demonstrated that our community can support each other while physically distanced. We can worship, study, celebrate, and mourn remarkably well through computer and phone.

We miss embracing, but how fortunate are we to live in a technological age of such social connections!
We appreciate your patience as we work out our plans. Please be in touch with any questions or comments.

With prayers for each of us,


L'Shalom,
 
Adam Stock Spilker, Rabbi     

Michael Kuhne, President   

Larry Solomon, Executive Director