Dear TBZ Community
We are writing to update you on the next stages of our reentry. After a successful and nourishing series of in-person services in May, and consultation with our TBZ medical experts, we are happy to be able to invite you back into the building for Shabbat services beginning on June 5th after a long and challenging 15 months!
As always, the health of our community - physical, emotional, and spiritual - is our top priority. We are entering this next stage now based on the increased rates of vaccination, the decreased spread of COVID in Massachusetts, revised guidance from the CDC, the Commonwealth, Brookline, and our own analysis. We have also made improvements to the building. This week we will be installing new fans in the Sanctuary and in the Community and Meeting rooms on the first floor. These fans will increase air exchanges and air flows and have ultraviolet light units that disinfect viruses in the air. This should not only help reduce the risk of COVID-related viruses but also the common cold, seasonal flu etc.
Here is what you need to know.
Shabbat Morning Services
Saturday services will now be open to all who wish to attend. We will utilize an online sign-up system (Sign-up Genius) to ensure that the numbers of participants stays within our guidelines for safe spacing in the sanctuary and to confirm that you agree to our best practices for being in the building. We will welcome up to 90 people in the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary chairs will be set up in small groupings, and you will be able to choose where and with whom you wish to sit. Some might be ready to sit next to others, and some might want more distance. See the instructions for how to sign up at the end of this email.
We continue to require that everyone wear a mask while inside the building - even if you are vaccinated.
Consistent with our value of inclusion, we believe this is the right approach at this time to make sure that everyone in our community can be in the building and participate. Wearing masks helps protect the unvaccinated - including children under 12 and those who are immunosuppressed. We will review this policy at the end of June.
In order to help all congregants hear more clearly, fully vaccinated clergy can remove their masks, while leading services. In addition, vaccinated Torah and D’var Torah participants may choose to remove their mask while reading.
Please note that for now, only Shabbat Morning Services will be in-person/hybrid.
We will continue to stream services as well.
Friday Night Services
Friday evening services will continue to be virtual only! Look for news on some outdoor Friday night services coming this summer at Griggs Park and Gann Farm. Dates and details will be sent soon.
Shabbat Morning Torah Study beginning June 12
We are excited to begin IN PERSON Torah Study on Shabbat Mornings starting June 12 at 9AM. Torah Study will be held in the Community Room so that we can space out our chairs in a way that everybody feels comfortable. The same guidelines for Services will be followed for Torah Study.
Kiddush
For now, we will not serve a community Kiddush after services. There will be a small snack at the end of services, which you can enjoy outside of the building while you schmooze with others in the community!
Virtual Programing
We will continue to live-stream all sanctuary services on Zoom and Facebook and invite you to participate in person or virtually. If you do participate by Zoom, please turn on your video so that we can interact more completely.
We recognize that the pandemic has affected us all differently. We reach out to everyone who has lost a loved one or who has suffered illness, economic hardship, and disruption. We also recognize that everyone has their own levels of readiness and comfort with joining in-person events. If you join us in-person, we ask you to be mindful and aware of other people’s comfort, before hugging or giving a hand to someone, or getting close please check in with the other person's confort. We ask that when inside of the building you continue to socially distance from those not in your family group.
You may be wondering what the High Holidays will look like. We are planning for both in-person and virtual services and we’ll keep you updated as those plans coalesce.
We encourage everyone to get vaccinated. If you need help getting to a vaccination site, let us know and we will find you a ride.
We are so excited to see everyone back, singing, laughing, praying, together. We have really accomplished so much in maintaining, caring for, and growing our community during these difficult straits. We look forward to coming back together!
Rav Claudia Kreiman, Senior Rabbi
Susan Diller, Executive Director
Larry Kraus, Chair of Reentry Committee
