Dear East End Temple Family,
This is a moment in which we need to fully live out our values, in this case to protect each other and society more broadly from the spread of COVID-19. We acknowledge that some other institutions will remain open, but we feel a social duty to engage in “social distancing” in order to slow the spread of the virus. Following the advice of public health officials, we closed our building for all programs, including Religious School and Shabbat services on Friday March 13th. The office remains operational, but staff will work from home, and hourly staff will receive paid time off. We also conducted a thorough, proactive cleaning of our building on Monday, March 16.
At the same time, we need to be even more present for each other. Each household can expect to hear from our clergy in the coming week. We also invite you to call and email your friends from the community, so that they can feel the warmth of relationship.
Beyond this, our community is opening a number of opportunities to connect remotely:
- Tot Shabbat will take place via Facebook Live at 5:45 pm on Friday.
- Shabbat services will take place via Facebook Live at 6:15 pm on Friday. We suggest that you use Facebook Live, so that you can share kind comments during the service itself and have an even more interactive prayer experience. You can even use a digital version of our siddur, Mishkan T’filah, by clicking here to download a Flipbook version, or purchase one for your e-reader or Kindle. You can click here for our East End Temple Songbook. We will all need the warmth of prayer and Torah.
- We will be hosting programs nearly every single day, so that you can feel a sense of community, even from home. Please click here to see the latest offerings on our “East End Temple Everywhere” page.
- If there are additional ways that we can be present for you during this difficult time, please reach out to us. We will try to remain particularly available during regular business hours.
You can expect to hear from us often, as we receive updates from civic leaders and public health officials. We pray for health, healing, and hope. We will do our very best to meet the needs of our beloved community, understanding that developments are ongoing. Thank you for your kindness, patience, and love.
With blessings,
Rabbi Josh Stanton and Cantor Shira Ginsburg
co-Presidents Rebecca Shore and Derek Dorn