We have reached a tremendous milestone this weekend – we are going to have our first Bat Mitzvah at Sinai since lockdown last March.
Beyond all the clear accolades for the amount of work our students have accomplished and the support of their families, this is for Sinai a critical step towards the eventual reopening of Sinai.
Please note, that even though the Bat Mitzvah is taking place in our Synagogue, the synagogue is not yet open.
We have made great strides in re-imagining Sinai in order to allow in-person services, including adding safety barriers, HEPA filters, completely rearranging seating to accommodate a bubble-based setting, and marking movement routes throughout the synagogue. All of this is being done under the strictest guidelines that fully comply with all current government regulations for an area under Tier 3 restrictions.
In the next few weeks we will begin communicating our intentions and potential time frames for how we might reopen. In the meantime, we have the exciting opportunity to test all these processes under the strict controls that we can exact for a limited-attendance service like a B’nai Mitzvah.
We ask your respect and cooperation for our process by continuing to watch our services online until we officially announce an opening. To be clear, only the limited number of people the family has invited as part of the Bat Mitzvah will be allowed into the Synagogue.
We thank you all for your respect and patience, and we hope you are as excited as we are about this first step towards a return to a full and vibrant community in our Beit Kenesset.
L’Shalom,
Rabbi Paul