Shalom L’kulam,
I want to begin by sending blessings of health and well-being to each Beth El community member. As you well know, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it unprecedented times that have deeply affected our lives and certainly the way we are able to interact with our synagogue community. In order to protect the welfare of our members and in order to participate in safeguarding public health, we created a medical task force, chaired by Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, to guide synagogue decision making during the pandemic so that our choices were informed by science and expert opinions.
Accordingly, our medical task force is currently helping to guide us as Illinois has transitioned into Phase Three, which allows for gatherings of ten, especially in outdoor spaces. We recognize that one of the many difficult aspects of this pandemic has been the inability to gather together for a live, in-person minyan, especially for those who are saying Kaddish for a loved one.
Subject to the precautions listed below, we are now holding in-person Minchah/Maariv services at 7:30 pm on Mondays. Shacharit services will be at 8:15 am on Fridays. We will also consider expanding further minyan opportunities. We encourage anyone, whether you are saying kaddish or not, to sign up if interested. While sign-ups are most appreciated so we can guarantee ten, and so we can inform you if there is a weather cancellation, walk-ins are currently permitted as well.
Please be understanding as we begin to offer these services in the safest manner possible. Please also note that these live minyanim will not replace our on-line Zoom services. We will continue to hold our Zoom services twice a day independent of these live minyanim. To sign up for any of these live minyanim please click the button below and fill out the form. As we finalize the participants, we will contact you to let you know if you are confirmed.
To participate in these live minyanim the following precautions must be taken:
If you have any questions, please e-mail me at mschwab@nssbethel.org .
Thank you and Shavuah Tov!
Rabbi Schwab