Dear Members,

As circumstances surrounding and information about COVID-19 continue to evolve, the health and safety of our entire community remains our top priority as we plan for upcoming Shabbat and Purim celebrations.

We continue to follow guidance from health officials regarding upcoming meetings and events and to stress the need for common sense preventative measures to do our part to reduce the spread of this virus. As a reminder, we all should be washing our hands regularly with warm water and soap; also, it is imperative that we all stay home if we are sick . Symptoms of COVID-19 can include fever, cough and shortness of breath.

Our custodians continue to clean high-touch surface areas and doorknobs frequently with medical grade antiseptic cleaners; we also continue to follow regular protocol and sanitize children’s toys daily. For the time being, in an abundance of caution, we continue to recommend elbow bumps and waves instead of handshakes and hugs. You may also see small changes around the building, such as signs to remind us all about regular handwashing.

Please note the following in anticipation of our upcoming Shabbat and Purim celebrations:

  • The overnight Vav Retreat planned for this Shabbat has been postponed as a precautionary measure. With so many children in such close quarters, Bet Torah staff and lay leadership decided it was best to schedule this wonderful event at another time.
  • ·Shabbat Kulanu will now include a special program on Saturday morning for our Vav students with Rabbi Brusso in our Chapel. Vav families have received an email from Gina Fass with more details, and we look forward to sharing Shabbat with all of you.
  • ·Our usual Shabbat Kiddish buffet luncheon will now be served by gloved volunteers from our Ritual Committee. Thank you in advance for your patience as our volunteers do their best to accommodate all of our worshippers.
  • ·Our special Purim dinner, scheduled for 6 pm on Monday night just before our 7 pm Megillah reading (click here to make your reservation, due today, Mar. 6), will also be served by gloved volunteers. Again, thank you for your patience with our servers.
  • Please consider participating in our Purim food collection project to benefit the Mt. Kisco Food Pantry. As is customary on Purim, we are collecting food for matanot l’evyonim (gifts for the poor). Rather than sharing groggers, bring boxes of mac ‘n cheese to use for your noisemakers and leave them as a donation!
  • If you are sick, watch Shabbat morning and Purim services via Livestream. Our weekly email blasts (click here for email blast) include a password and “stream service” information. You can also click here for (Live Streaming FAQ).

Again, as we are all aware, COVID-19 is a rapidly changing situation. We will continue to stay abreast of current information and make decisions for Bet Torah as appropriate and necessary
and based on information provided by County, State and CDC officials. Because our annual Purim Carnival is scheduled for the weekend of March 15, rather than this weekend, we will wait to make all decisions about the Purim Carnival when we are closer to the event.

Thank you as always for your support during this challenging time. It is heartening, though not surprising, to see how quickly our members have come together to find solutions rather than obstacles during an uncertain period. Of course, please continue to follow personal and public health preventative actions recommended by the CDC . If you have traveled to any CDC COVID-19 transmission countries , please follow the 14-day self-quarantine recommendation. If you self-quarantine or are directed to do so by health officials, please contact Seth, Carol or Rabbi Brusso as soon as possible.

Carol Siege, President


Seth Young, Executive Director