Written by: Jared Nabel, President
Fellow Congregants,
As we head into summer and put more space on the calendar since the federal Covid-19 Public Health Emergency declaration ended on May 11, I thought it time to address the current landscape.
As many have stated, we’re facing a “new” normal. Covid-19 will not subside completely, but the United States government at the federal, state, and local levels have all positioned themselves to deal with Covid-19 in a changed world. Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have updated their guidance regarding management of the associated health risks of a disease that is rapidly moving towards an endemic, rather than pandemic, classification.
How will these changes affect Temple Israel’s (TIP) services, events, and functions?
Moving forward, as long as Covid-19 remains out of pandemic classification, and neither the State of New Hampshire nor Rockingham County utilizes a warning level system to characterize the threat of Covid-19, TIP will no longer participate in determinations regarding an individual’s ability to attend temple-sanctioned services, events, or functions. As in our society at large, the burden of health risk management will rest more heavily on individuals and families to make appropriate decisions for themselves.
Our collective pandemic experience has taught us a lot about common-sense strategies to prevent the spread of infectious disease. TIP asks any individual who is sick to rest comfortably at home and to take advantage of the Zoom technology to stay connected with our community. If an individual feels that they are unlikely to be an active spreader of disease, and that it is safe for them to attend in-person, appropriate mitigation measures are strongly encouraged. These may include masking and maintaining social distancing.
As always, we affirm our shared Jewish values of Pikuah Nefesh – Safeguarding Life, Sakanat Nefeshot – Avoiding Endangering Life, Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh Bazeh – We Are Responsible for One Another, and Hesed – Profound Love & Kindness. We hope that congregants and guests will be considerate of others, cognizant that many in our community have underlying health conditions, and when in doubt, will err on the side of caution.
I look forward to seeing more of you in-person, and welcome further participation from many of you via our robust Zoom capabilities.
Sincerely,
Jared Nabel, President
