May 16th, 2022/ 15  Iyar 5782

****UPDATE COVID-19 PROTOCOL AS OF MAY 15th, 2022****

We appreciate and thank all of you—our Judea Reform Congregation community—for your support throughout the pandemic. As of May 15th, we are shifting our risk-mitigation protocols to allow for greater re-gathering and more in-person, indoor opportunities. Throughout the pandemic, we have made our decisions based on the synagogue being a Beit Knesset, “a house of gathering.” We know we are in the "business" of bringing people together, an act that our tradition regards as a mitzvah, a holy deed. And, these decisions, as always, have been balanced by science, public health guidelines, the expertise of our ReOpening Task Force leaders, data from our counties and surrounding areas, as well as the safety and comfort of our staff.
 
We are pleased to be at a point in this pandemic where we can reasonably allow many more people into our Sacred Space to gather! We are still requiring vaccinations, but will no longer be requiring congregants and guests to verify proof. We trust our community and friends to act in the best interest of all to keep our staff and community safe. We are lifting the restrictions on size of gatherings and eliminating sign-ups. (unless a head-count is needed for other reasons.) We will still be requiring masks in worship, larger congregational events, and Religious School; we will be mask-optional for in-person, indoor gatherings of 25 or fewer.

We remain acutely aware that our congregants under 5 do not yet have access to vaccinations; it is, in part, for this reason that we are requiring masks at our worship and congregational gatherings for the protection of our “littles,” whom we welcome into our gatherings.
  
As of May 15th:

• Masks required for all worship (Shabbat services, B’nei Mitzvah)
• Vaccinations are still required, although we will no longer be verifying proof. 
• No sign-ups required for worship; no size limits for worship.

ALL policies are subject to change based on public health conditions and new medical/scientific data.

Questions? Contact Emily Young, Executive Director  or Jodi Lampley, Executive Assistant 919-489-7062 ext. 233