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For synagogues across the country, this is an appropriate component of preparation for major holidays: installing more seats in the sanctuary. Make sure the shofars are in order. Take out the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur prayer books.
And what, if anything, needs to be done about COVID-19.
As Jews around the world approach their fourth primary holiday season following the emergence of COVID, a resurgence of infections has forced the disease back into headlines and at congregation planning meetings. But now, the rabbis say, they are used to it, and several said the Jewish Telegraphic Agency claimed the surge in cases did not disappoint their plans for Rosh Hashanah, which begins Friday night and promises crowded synagogues across the country.
“We must stay healthy, but nothing has changed,” said Mara Nathan, chief rabbi of Temple Beth-El, a Reform synagogue in San Antonio, Texas. Daniel Weiner, rabbi of Temple De Hirsch Sinai in Seattle, said of his Reform congregation, “We have to get on with our lives. “
The latest concerns about COVID have been driven by a new variant, known as Pirola, which has led to a surge in cases and hospitalizations across the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that the variant “may be more likely to cause infection” in others who have had COVID or have been vaccinated, the threat of severe illness remains low. On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new recall that will be available soon.
But for many communities, the recent surge in cases is just a sign that COVID-19 is endemic and will become a seasonal illness like influenza, with expected but manageable spikes.
Like last year, Temple De Hirsch Sinai will offer an online streaming option for those who need to stay home, but won’t introduce any COVID guidance otherwise. Weiner said he encouraged his network to use common sense and respect. when deciding whether or not to attend services in person.
And at Kehillat Etz Chayim, a fashionable Orthodox congregation in suburban Detroit, masks will be available and the network has been asked to get tested if they don’t feel well. Rabbi Asher Lopatin, who runs the synagogue, said this year’s COVID wave “surprised us a little bit” and that if it had hit Michigan earlier, more precautions might have been taken.
“If we had a few more weeks, we would be stricter than last year,” he said.
At Chicago’s Loop synagogue in downtown Chicago, President Lee Zoldan said the building’s architecture lends itself to the “podding” and social distancing that have been recommended in the most severe stages of the pandemic. The synagogue has a three-story, 535-seat sanctuary. And the synagogue has a culture of seating participants in small teams according to the family.
Zoldan said the synagogue is contemplating restricting the number of people allowed in the bimah, the level from which it is conducted. He added that masks and hand sanitizer will also be available for optional use.
“We feel safe,” Zoldan told JTA, adding that he hasn’t heard much fear from network members about COVID.
Some synagogues, such as Congregation Beth Sholom, a Conservative synagogue in Teaneck, New Jersey, and Congregation Beit Tikvah, a Reconstructionist synagogue in Baltimore, will offer mask-only sections for worshippers. Beth Sholom has sections with masks at her service and will offer them outdoors. Service during last year’s summer holidays.
IKAR, the non-denominational progressive congregation in Los Angeles, will also hold indoor and outdoor gatherings this year, weather permitting. IKAR’s foreign service will have a segment reserved for masks.
One network that continues to adhere to stricter fitness rules is Shir Hamaalot, a volunteer-run congregation in Brooklyn that describes itself as “traditional-egalitarian. “At his Rosh Hashanah service on Friday, Shir Hamaalot demanded masks. Any unmasked branch leader will have a negative that day.
Russ Agdern, a member of the community’s organizing team, told JTA that the congregation is one of the few to wear masks and other pandemic precautions since reintroducing in-person services. Shir Hamaalot’s Rosh Hashanah form of registration refers to “the dearth of ‘Personal Characteristics for New York City’s Great COVID Safe Holiday’ as an explanation for its resolution to the protocols.
“We have network members who are at the highest risk of contracting COVID, are immunocompromised, have prolonged COVID, or have family members or family members who match those descriptions,” he said. Using the Yiddish word for prayer, he added: “It is vital for us to be an inclusive network that provides other people with a position for Daven. “
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