November 25, 2020 / 9 Kislev 5781
Dear Mount Zion Community,
Our last communication regarding Covid-19 was in August when we wrote that all worship services and core activities, including Religious School, would be online through December.
We are writing now to inform you that our Opening Task Force has determined that we will continue with our current status at least through March 31, 2021.
This will not come as a surprise. The Covid-19 crisis has surged in recent weeks and new state-wide restrictions are being enacted in a “Dial Back” campaign.
We have been operating in a “Phase I” stage where we are holding most services and activities online. In this stage, we have held outdoor gatherings with limited numbers, allow for staff, including the catering company Spirit of Asia which rents our kitchen, to be in the building periodically, invite B’nei Mitzvah families to be in the sanctuary for a Shabbat morning service while clergy are remote via Zoom, and allow for special controlled in-building activities such as the recent use of our building as a polling site for the election.
We will not begin to consider entering a Phase II of opening until there are at least four weeks of under 4% positive testing rate in Ramsey, Hennepin, and Dakota Counties. While state epidemiologists say 5% is a level of concern, we are using the slightly more cautious 4% as our threshold. We pray that this improvement will come soon and speedily, but we know that it will not likely be for a while. As a corollary, if testing rates go above 4% in any of our surrounding counties, we would consider dialing back our opening.
As we have said previously, we continue to demonstrate that our community can support each other while remaining 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, spiritual, and educational connections!
Please be in touch with Larry Solomon with any questions (lsolomon@mzion.org / 651-698-3881).
This is an extraordinarily challenging time. The community spread of Covid-19 has dramatically increased recently and requires even more diligence and physical separation. Even while we will place hopes in the vaccine, we know there will be challenges and we are here to support you.
Wishing you a good Thanksgiving where we can reflect on gratitude even as we may grieve how it is not the same.
L’shalom,
Michael Kuhne, 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); Joan Ostrove (inclusion and accessibility); Neil Segal (operations, Ames Center performance venue); Michael Wall (president-elect), Larry Solomon, Sue Summit, and Rabbi Spilker.
