Our High Holidays Plans

Dear friends,

We have been in touch with many of you about the specifics of our High Holiday plans with regard to Covid. Some of you have reached out with questions or concerns, others we have contacted to consult with or ask how you and yours are feeling about in person gatherings, especially indoors. Susan, the Va'ad and I have been deep in these questions for at least several weeks. And I wanted to share with you all where we have landed and why. I can’t think of a more important communication at this moment.

Last Yom Kippur we read the following words from Deuteronomy: “I have given you today life and goodness, death and evil. Choose life.” That’s what we are working on. What does choosing life mean for us this year? Our highest priority is our health, first physical and then mental. People need in person services more than ever. But not all of us feel comfortable attending them at this stage of the Delta’s spread. The vast majority of adults in our community are vaccinated. But all our kids under 12 are not. They and their parents are pretty tired of getting tested every two minutes. And we all understand what’s at stake, and are accustomed to the sacrifices we each have to make for each other these days.

We think we have come up with a plan that maximizes everyone’s ability to participate with joy and ease this year. It’s not perfect, or full proof, but health experts we’ve spoken to have backed us up and we believe we will be all be able, in one way or another to feel the unique New Shul jig moving through us.

Besides all services being streamed live on Zoom with a top notch team of video and sound crew, we have moved some of our services outdoors. On Rosh Hashanah two of our three services will be by the water, morning service on Tuesday at Brooklyn Bridge Park and afternoon Tashlich on Wednesday. We hope this will make it possible for some  who aren’t comfortable coming indoors to join and to make it more family friendly (both outdoor services will be shorter, more experiential and near a playground for jumpy ones). We are considering moving one of the Yom Kippur services outdoors as well.

The indoor services will take place in a huge theater (Theater for the New City on 1st Avenue and 10th Street), with very high ceilings, two windows, and an air filtration system recently revamped to Equity’s high standard. We will be capping capacity at 50%, but expect closer to 20% for all services except Kol Nidrei. Entrance will require proof of vaccination for those 12 and up, and a negative PCR test for those under 12. We will be wearing masks and maintaining social distance. For many months no one has been allowed into the theater without proof of vaccine or a negative test due to their strict policies.

A week ago our incredible team of designers and tech crew met at the theater. The meeting got us all excited. Not only did the artistic vibe of TNS display itself in exciting ideas, but the team was so impressed with the theaters safety protocol that some who weren’t planning on coming in person decided to come after all.

None of this is a guarantee of any sort. We go into these high holidays with awe and unknowing. But the Va'ad and the leadership team feel confident that we will be safe - as medical consultants have told us - that our plan answers as many of our community’s needs as we possibly can at the moment - that this is our way this year to choose life.

If you have questions about any of the particulars of our Covid plans, please reach out to Susan at Susan@newshul.org. If you would like to come but are unsure, and feel like talking it over would be helpful, please call me at 9172020882. I will happily listen and certainly won’t pressure anyone one way or another. We all need to speak through our feelings every now and then. I am here to talk over this or other joys and sorrows. Elul is a heavy month always. Lots of us are struggling these days, and these holidays can help us work on ourselves. We want to use these opportunities in the way that makes most sense for each of us.

If you haven’t already, please let us know your plans for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Wherever you join us from, it’s going to be an awesome ride.

This Shabbat, stop and remind yourself that the holidays are coming. A new type of Beginning is returning to our city and our hearts.

Shabbat shalom,

Rabbi Misha