How to Reopen Safely (and Gradually)
A few states in the U.S. are beginning to re-open non-essential businesses after a long period of stay-at-home and shelter-in-place orders. Over the next 6 - 8 weeks, many other states and European countries may follow suit. It is unlikely that large gatherings will be permitted until later in the summer. In the meantime, you and your congregation’s leaders should take this opportunity to plan for a safe (and likely gradual) reopening.
In addition to considering your congregants’ physical safety and health, reopening presents a variety of psychological challenges which must be factored into your planning. While rushing to get back to "normal" might excite and invigorate those who are young, healthy, and impatient, this approach will likely alienate many others, and leave your pews empty for months longer than necessary.
Just as your congregation feels reassured by enhanced security measures in response to growing anti-Semitism, they’ll also feel reassured by visible and strict hygiene and social distancing measures, even measures that might feel overbearing or limiting to you as a leader.
Remember that your goal is not only to protect your congregants from infection, but also to help them feel safe and comfortable in your synagogue building during a time of tremendous uncertainty. Managing this process well will increase confidence in your leadership and will pay off in the long-term with increased commitment, community engagement, active volunteer service, and consistent financial support.
Please review the World Health Organization’s Interim Guidance for Faith-Based Communities in the Context of COVID-19 and consider the below UMJC guidelines (which have been customized to the unique context of Messianic Jewish congregations) as you make plans.
UMJC Guidelines on Safe & Gradual
Reopening of Messianic Congregations
in the Context of COVID-19
1. Plan to continue live-streaming.
Until there is a working vaccine, expect that many of your congregants will be too nervous to show up in person. Others have come to enjoy the convenience of “attending” from the comfort of their homes. By continuing to live-stream, you can stay connected with your elderly and medically vulnerable congregants, and reach people in more remote areas who are not already served by another congregation.
Now is the time to make important hardware or software investments to ensure good quality live-streaming that will continue well into the future. Consider your current audio, visual, and lighting set up and make adaptations as needed, with a larger number of at-home viewers in mind.
2. Experiment with new gathering formats.
Warmer weather brings great opportunities for your congregants to gather outdoors in small numbers where the risks of transmission are lower. A few ideas:
· Young parents: Socially Distanced Stroller Brigade in a large local park.
· Men’s Group: Social Distancing Beers around a bonfire.
· Sisterhood: Bring Your Own Beverage to meet in a member’s large backyard.
· Youth Group: remote scavenger hunt documented on TikTok or Instagram.
· Young Professionals: service project in a local food bank, or grocery deliveries to your elderly congregants.
3. Limit the number of total in-person attendees.
Although approaches will vary across the country and the globe, it’s likely that your local or national government will only permit small gatherings at first – of 10 people, then perhaps 25, then 50, etc. You should plan to reopen your synagogue similarly. In the next few weeks, it may be safe to resume small in-person classes or a morning minyan, as long as attendees are spaced apart in well-ventilated rooms. Brace for the reality that it may be several months before your entire congregation can gather on a weekly basis at full capacity as they’ve been accustomed.
4. Change your seating arrangements and service schedule.
Once you are ready to welcome congregants back to your regular in-person services, prepare to cut your seating capacity by at least 50%. If you have fixed pews, block off at least every other pew. If you have separate chairs, remove at least half of the chairs from your sanctuary, and make large gaps between chairs and rows (with a few clumps for families to sit together). Advise attendees not to share pews or rows of chairs with other families or solo attendees.
If your sanctuary tends to fill up to 50% capacity or greater with your regular attendees, offer multiple service times to avoid overcrowding and maintain spacing. You could encourage adults over 65 to attend the earlier service (don’t offer any children’s programming or nursery care during the early service to drive the point home), leaving the later service for families with small children, teens, and adults under 65. Abbreviate your usual service length to avoid overworking your leaders and key volunteers.
5. Improve indoor ventilation.
If weather and security conditions permit, open doors or windows to improve the air circulation in your building. For the next few months, move any classes or Torah studies that are normally conducted in small classrooms into larger, well-ventilated rooms. You may need to cancel some classes or stagger schedules to do this.
Chairs, tables, door knobs, and light switches should be wiped down between classes with cleaning wipes. Recruit your congregants to help with this! Attendees should plan to bring their own pens and pencils for note-taking, rather than borrowing from the synagogue supply.
6. Check temperatures.
Invest in a contactless thermometer so that you can quickly take temperatures as people enter the building. This is going to feel incredibly overbearing in a synagogue environment, but actually has the effect of building confidence in your hygiene measures and subtly encouraging increased vigilance with distancing and hand-washing.
The standard response by attendees will be: “Wow, they’re really taking this seriously. That makes me feel better about coming today. Oh yeah, I should probably go wash my hands.” Anyone with a temperature higher than 99.3 must be sent home immediately, with no exceptions for leaders or key volunteers.
7. Encourage hand-washing and mask-wearing.
Place signs throughout the building reminding attendees to wash their hands frequently. Provide automatic hand sanitizer dispensers in key areas.
If your local or national government advises wearing face coverings in public places, then everyone should comply and wear them at the synagogue, just as they would in a grocery store or place of business.
Only the rabbi, cantor, and musical vocalists should remove their masks to lead the service, and only while standing at a distance from seated congregants. The rabbi, cantor, and vocalists should wear their masks at all other times, especially when seated or conversing in close proximity with congregants.
Remember that a mask doesn’t work unless it is worn properly – it should cover your chin, mouth, and nose, and fit snugly with no large gaps at your cheeks.
8. Refrain from handshakes, hugging, and kissing.
Bowing and elbow bumping is a new form of greeting that most have already adapted to during this period of social distancing. Stick with it. Greeters should refrain from shaking hands with visitors or members. Instead of distributing siddurim or bulletins by hand, leave them on a table near the entrance with clear signs so that first-time visitors can locate them easily.
9. Don’t share microphones.
Microphones are typically handled with bare hands, and covered with spittle. Don’t share them between musicians or prayer leaders! One mic per person – this may require you to whittle down the size of the team on your bimah temporarily for the sake of good hygiene.
10. Revise your Israeli dance program.
If your congregation incorporates Israeli dance in your worship, require dancers to maintain a large distance between themselves, and refrain from holding hands while dancing. Create a new space for dancers in an area that is well-ventilated and far away from other attendees, as they tend to breathe and perspire heavily while dancing.
If these changes cannot be accommodated, then dancing should be prohibited during the main service until the virus is eliminated in your state or country. You can make up for this cancellation by offering weeknight outdoor Israeli dance classes instead.
11. Revise your Torah service.
Plan to limit the number of people on your bimah at the same time. Only one person each week should actually handle the scrolls throughout the service – the same person should remove the Torah scroll from the ark, unwrap and unroll it, cover and lift it for hagbah, and return it to the ark. Eliminate your usual Torah procession for now.
12. Revise or cancel your Oneg/Kiddush.
Ask attendees to bring their own lunches. Eliminate half of the usual seating at your Oneg tables to ensure good spacing as people eat and schmooze together. All tables and chairs should be wiped down with cleaning wipes before and after Oneg.
Set aside a designated area for small children to eat, as they require closer interaction from parents and caregivers. Don’t allow children to run through the hallways or social hall - arrange a supervised outdoor activity to keep them occupied during or after Oneg.
If these changes cannot be arranged or adhered to, then Oneg/Kiddush should be cancelled until the virus is eliminated in your state or country.