Happy (secular) New Year! I know all of us hope for a happier and healthier 2021 than 2020 was for some of us and more than 18 million Americans, who became infected, and more than 320,000 Americans who lost their lives to the pandemic. As I write this, the number of cases, nationally, in New Jersey and in Middlesex County is increasing at an alarming rate. On the very big plus side, yesterday was the day that the first inoculations were administered to front-line health workers.
The message is to maintain our diligence in staying within your “pod” of the people you are living with. Always wear a mask when you are outside you pod, especially when going anywhere indoors. Keep socially distanced, even when wearing a mask. Keep safe; be smart; better safe than very sorry. Perhaps my only favorite quote of Governor Murphy’s is from when he was asked about some people complaining that wearing a mask is uncomfortable. He replied (paraphrasing here: “You know what’s uncomfortable? Dying is uncomfortable; wear a mask.
With all of that as a background, our COVID-19 Task Force made the solemn recommendation to move all our religious services to virtual. We had been doing in-person on Friday and Sunday evenings and Saturday morning for a few weeks. We expect virtual services will continue until, at least, the middle of January. The Task Force is meeting almost weekly, now, to stay on top of the latest developments. Please contact Rabbi Wolkoff, Cantor Rockman, Ritual VP, Gordon Heit, or me with any questions or concerns.
As a further precaution, we insist that you contact the office for curbside pickup/drop-off of anything that needs to come to our building or that you need to pick-up from our building. If there is any reason that you need to go inside our building, please clear it with Lesley Lewkowicz, CBT Administrator. We ask that you complete your activity/reason for being in the building as quickly and safely as possible and then exit the building directly.
We are working to keep everyone safe, including members/volunteers, staff and visitors. PLEASE, if you have any doubt about whether you’re feeling well and/or have a fever, DO NOT come to our building; if necessary, we will arrange for a safe delivery of what you need from the building or pick-up of what needs to be brought to our building. The preferred protocol is to call ahead (732-297-0696) to be sure someone can help you once you arrive. When you arrive, please phone again to finalize the curbside pick-up.
I would be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity to thank everyone who made and paid their High Holy Day pledge. For those of you who misplaced your pledge card or otherwise haven’t made it, you can safely and securely donate at our website using: bnaitikvah.org/hhpledge. Of course, you can mail a check to the office, too.
Stay safe and healthy. I know that we each look forward to the day when we can meet in our building, together, without restrictions.