Dear Fellow Congregants,
We hope you and your loved ones are safe and well, which are of the utmost importance during this time. As we wrote on March 12, after evaluating all available information, in consultation with our Health Committee and out of an abundance of concern for our congregants, we decided to cancel all religious services and religious school for two weeks. We indicated we would monitor events as they evolved and make any necessary adjustments that are warranted. The situation continues to unfold on a daily – if not more frequent – basis and there is heightened concern about the pandemic.
Yesterday, Governor John Bel Edwards issued a statewide “stay-at-home” order in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. This means that all Louisianians should
stay at
their
homes and follow CDC guidelines for social distancing
. Thus,
all in-person Shabbat services, weekday minyanim, religious school and teen learning are cancelled until further notice
.
Rabbi Silver and the Ritual Committee have developed and put in place various
options for conducting services remotely
, including a weekday morning minyan on Thursday at 7 am, Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat services at 6:15 pm, and a community Havdalah on Saturday evening with local clergy. We are using technology to deliver these services. In addition, to provide you with a meaningful Shabbat experience while respecting halakhah, Rabbi Silver has been sending a variety of advance materials for you to support a peaceful home celebration, enabling you to retain a sense of Shabbat. Please use these resources. They are for you.
Rabbi Silver and Jennie Lavine have created three
online experiences for our Shul School
. There is a Family Kabbalat Shabbat service on Friday at 4:30 pm, consisting of songs and stories, candle lighting and Kiddush. There is a Kabbalat Kehilla on Sunday at 9:30 am, featuring music and community. And, there is a Learning to Lead Class on Friday at 10 am.
In terms of
Shul School and Teen Learning
, Rabbi Silver and Jennie Lavine have developed remote learning materials for grades 4 and up. There is a curriculum of rituals, songs and videos for students below 4
th
grade.
The synagogue’s online newsletter is available on Thursday and contains information on events and programs. Please check the Shir Chadash website for a list of the week’s events and our Facebook page.
As a reminder, the
Friday night dinner and NJ Beats program on March 27 and the 2
nd
night musical Seder on April 9 are cancelled
.
We are encouraging our professional and office staff to work remotely as much as possible. We will continue to serve you.
Finally, we began a telephone initiative this weekend. Rabbi Silver, members of the Board and Sisterhood members are making “check-in calls” to congregants. With a stay-at-home order in effect, we feel that a telephone call can go a long way to demonstrate that we truly care about each other as embodied in the Hebrew song
hinei ma tov uma na’im shevat achim gam yachad:
How good and pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to sit together (virtually).
Thanks for being part of our wonderful Shir Chadash community. Be well and stay safe.
Sincerely,
Ken Klein, President
