Dear Congregation Beth Ahabah Family,
Every fall during the Festival of Sukkot we read the book of Ecclesiastes, including the iconic lines “to every thing there is a season” and “nothing is new under the sun.” During our journey as a community through the pandemic, we have seen both “a time to mask up” and “a time to refrain from mask requirements.” As the summer winds down, our RIPE Committee and medical advisors have continued to meet, and we write to you now with an update to our Beth Ahabah Protocols for Gathering, which will be effective beginning tonight at Shabbat services on Friday, August 19, 2022.
The changes to our protocols take into account the guidelines and recommendations of both medical and Jewish organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), and the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), as well as local school districts and local health departments in the City of Richmond and the Counties of Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico.
These new protocols apply equally across all congregational programming, including:
- Shabbat Services, Sanctuary Programs & Life Cycle Events
- Adult Small Groups & Meetings
- Religious School & Youth Group Gatherings
- Beit Midrash Adult & Teen and Education Programs
Updated Protocols:
- Masks are now optional for all attendees. (Anyone who wishes to continue wearing a mask may do so, a decision that we will fully support.)
- We continue to strongly encourage everyone who is able to do so to get the COVID-19 vaccine and any applicable boosters.
- During Congregational programming in the Sanctuary (such as Shabbat services), a section of the Sanctuary will be designated as “mask-required” for those attendees who prefer this additional safety precaution.
- We will continue to offer livestreaming of all indoor congregational services from the Sanctuary. (Virtual options for other small group meetings and programs will be offered when possible.)
- Congregational food service will now be offered indoors for anyone who wishes to participate, and an outdoor option will be provided whenever possible in our Courtyard.
As always, we encourage everyone in our Beth Ahabah Family to participate in any or all of our programming in whatever ways are possible and comfortable for each of you.
The one constant, as all the experts have said, is change, and that is still true in this message; the protocols above will be changed if and when conditions or circumstances necessitate. We will continue to monitor the situation, and if the “times” change again we will communicate that as soon as possible. Thank you for your continued support of the Beth Ahabah community, and please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns.
Shabbat Shalom!
Lee Katz, 1st Vice President, Chair of RIPE Committee
Julie Mullian, President of Board of Managers
Rabbi Scott Nagel
Cantor Sarah Beck-Berman
Heather Dinkin, Director of Congregational Operations
James Hensley, Facilities Manager
Click HERE for the CCAR Resolution on COVID-19 Vaccination.
