Message from the synagogue leadership
The announcement that places of worship can begin to reopen is a welcome one.
However, there is a great deal that is still unknown.
We are awaiting government guidance on many aspects of the plans, which were announced before detailed advice had been prepared. We are also yet to receive guidance for risk assessments, which are necessary for every activity that we restart.
The relaxation of lockdown does not mean that the risk has now disappeared. While we are confident in our ability to mitigate surface-based transmission through regular cleaning and handwashing / sanitising, we need further guidance on aerosol-based transmission and the particular risks it carries for our setting and for our services, life-cycle celebrations and other activities.
There are many variables that will mean that places of worship move at different paces. As a community we have a number of specific challenges that we need to address.
As any of us who have sat in the Beit Tefillah on a summer’s day know, the space has very limited ventilation and airflow. This may require us to use other spaces in the building for communal prayer, while continuing to use the Beit Tefillah for services that are broadcast online to those participating at home.
Alyth services are mainly about singing, which has been identified as a super-spreading activity. We have now heard that congregational singing and choirs are definitely not going to be allowed. We don’t know whether members will still wish to attend services at which they cannot sing, and recognise the extraordinary possibility of the service having to be paused to ask people to stop joining in!
We are also still awaiting guidance on how the service leader can sing safely in the presence of a congregation, which may require extra distancing, masks or screens.
The size of our praying community presents an additional challenge. It is unclear at this stage whether there will be a maximum number for services, or what level of physical distancing will be required. Whatever the outcome, we know that we will have to ask a large part of our community to stay away each week. We have hard decisions to make about how this might be arranged and enforced. It will be a significant cultural challenge for a community that seeks to be a welcoming space for prayer to have to turn people who have not pre-registered away from our doors.
As we have stated clearly over the last few weeks, we are committed to not leaving behind those who cannot join in person. Whatever we do must not adversely affect the online experience for those unable to come into the building because of age, vulnerability or simple over-demand. We therefore have a great deal of work to do on the development of ‘dual delivery’ methods. This is not straightforward, as even small changes will have an impact on the quality of online delivery we have developed over the last three months.
In common with other communities, we also have other priorities in need of our attention at this time. The Trustees are clear that we need to prioritise planning for the High Holy Days. Those who attended the AGM will have heard that they will look very different this year as we will be unable to gather in our normal way. A great deal of preparation and innovation will be required. We will write to you with more details about these over the coming weeks.
We also need to ensure that our clergy and staff get some time off over the coming weeks to reflect and recuperate after three months of extraordinary efforts.
We want to find our ‘new normal’ as soon as possible. We will approach this, as we do all of our challenges, with positivity and creativity. We also recognise that what we do may be with us until the development of an effective vaccine. We therefore ask that you please bear with us over the coming weeks as we work to ensure that, as we make these first moves to open, we can do so thoughtfully, safely, and for the benefit of all of our members.
In the meantime, please remember that our dedicated Careline is still in operation if you need any support at this time.
Noeleen Cohen and Russell Baum, Chairs
Rabbi Josh Levy
Click here for the Reform Judaism / Assembly of Reform Rabbis and Cantors guidance published this week.
Click here for Rabbi Josh’s AGM report on the experience of the last three months.
