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COVID-19 and Our Congregation

March 17, 2020/21 Adar 5780

It is hard to comprehend that since we last wrote just 5 days ago, so much has changed. But what has not changed is the fact that we are a community committed to caring for one another through thick and thin. The clergy, staff and Board president have been meeting regularly to assess the ways in which we can provide support and outreach to the community during these very challenging times. Sadly, one of the difficult decisions recently made was to cancel this weekend’s bar mitzvah and reschedule it for a time when the family, their friends and the Beth Meyer community can fully celebrate this simhah together.

We will continue to offer weekly prayer services via Livestream, including Wednesday and Sunday minyanim, Friday night 8PM service and Shabbat morning service at 9:30AM. In addition, we are exploring ways that we can offer Jewish content, learning opportunities and ritual experiences electronically. These will be provided by Rabbis Eric and Jenny Solomon, staff members and, hopefully, members of our community. If you possess a certain talent or skill or just the willingness to help, we want to hear from you. Some of the ideas under consideration are virtual story-time, arts and crafts sessions and lunchtime discussions. In light of the cancellation of Beth Meyer’s 2nd night Community Seder, we are looking at creative options for you to be “in community” with the rabbis and other Beth Meyer members during the Passover holiday.

This is not a time for modesty. We need our congregation's help. If you have an interest in volunteering, please contact the synagogue office via phone (919) 848-1420 or email (office@bethmeyer.org). 

We also wish to reiterate that many of us are feeling the strain of this moment. The social isolation can be especially challenging. If you need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact the shul office or rabbis directly.

We encourage you to visit www.bethmeyer.org for the most up-to-date information, as well as Beth Meyer's Facebook for videos prepared by the rabbis.

To recap our plans for the upcoming week, here is a list of the following activities which will be available on either Livestream, Zoom or Facebook; specifics will be forthcoming if not indicated below.

Wednesday, March 18: 7:00PM Minyan via Livestream
Friday, March 20: 6:30PM Welcoming Shabbat with Rabbis Eric and Jenny-platform TBD
Friday, March 20: 8:00PM Kabbalat Shabbat via Livestream​​​​​​​
Shabbat, March 21: 9:30AM Shabbat Service via Livestream​​​​​​​
Sunday, March 22: 9:00AM Minyan via Livestream

This is an ever-changing landscape with much still unknown. Please stay tuned for updated information. In the meantime, we are holding the Beth Meyer community, our country, and the world in our prayers.

March 12, 2020/16 Adar 5780

We write this note in response to the coronavirus pandemic. We know that Beth Meyer Synagogue is more than a physical building or an institution; we are a family. Much of the holy work we do is done together as a community: prayer, study, acts of kindness, and tikkun olam (repair of the world). Yet, under the circumstances, we are striving to balance our commitment to being a kehillah kedoshah, a holy community, with our obligation to fulfill the mitzvah of pikuah nefesh, preserving life.  

 

We are closely monitoring and following the recommendations of the CDC and NC Department of Health and Human Services. With this in mind, we have implemented additional cleaning and sanitation measures to keep our congregation safe. We have also made some very difficult decisions regarding our community’s activities for this shabbat and the following week:

 

1.  This Shabbat and next week’s weekday prayer services will only be available via Livestream. This includes Mindfulness Meditation at 6:30PM and the 8:00PM Shabbat Service on Friday, March 13; the Shabbat morning Service at 9:30AM on March 14, Sunday morning minyan at 9:00AM and Wednesday minyan at 7:00PM. We ask that you not come to the Beth Meyer building for these prayer experiences. Instead, you are invited to join them on-line at: www.bethmeyer.org/sanctuary-livestream.html 

2.  If you have scheduled meetings with any member of our clergy in the upcoming week, you will be contacted directly regarding an alternate plan.

3.  Our synagogue office staff will be available to respond to phone calls and emails during office hours.  

4.  The Wednesday, March 18 Adult Study Group at 11:00AM has been canceled.

5.  Committee meetings scheduled for this upcoming week will either be canceled or moved to an online platform as determined by the committee chair.

 

Additionally, we are canceling Beth Meyer’s 2nd Night Community Passover Seder scheduled for Thursday, April 9.  

 

Since developments are constantly evolving, please stay tuned for more information as we update our policies and approach. For those of you who are also part of our Kramer Religious School and Beth Meyer Preschool communities, a separate communication will be sent specifically outlining their plans.  

 

We encourage congregants to continue good hygiene practices including frequent hand washing, covering sneezes and coughs with tissues or the crook of your elbow, and swapping a hug, kiss or handshake for a non-contact greeting. If you are ill, please stay home. Older adults and anyone with a severe underlying chronic medical condition such as heart, lung disease or diabetes seem to be at a higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 – these individuals are also encouraged to stay home.  

 

As a community rooted in the value of hesed (lovingkindness) and committed to caring for one another, we want to remind everyone that we are here for you. If you, a loved one, or another congregant is struggling and in need of support, please do not hesitate to reach out to the shul office or email our rabbis directly: Rabbi Eric rabbi@bethmeyer.org and Rabbi Jenny jsolomon@bethmeyer.org. 

 

As Jewish lore teaches, “Gam Zeh Ya'avor---This too shall pass." In time, with God’s help, we are confident that our world will eventually return to normal. In the meantime, we invite all to pray for those who are suffering from the virus and consider carefully ways that each one of us can help mitigate its spread.

 

L’shalom,

 

Rabbis Eric & Jenny Solomon    

Susan Ehrlich-Board President        

Susan Sugar-Executive Director

Fri, April 19 2024 11 Nisan 5784