In seeking to balance the values of pikuah nefesh (preservation of life), embrace of science, and community needs, our plan for High Holiday in person Services are:

• We will operate at 50% of our High Holiday Capacity: In the Sanctuary this is 225 seats. 190 of those seats will be on the sanctuary level, and 35 will be in the balcony; On the roof for Family Services this is 80 seats at each service. Specific seats cannot be reserved in advance.
• Members and immediate family of members who wish to attend in person must be fully vaccinated (one or both shots depending on regimen, with the required wait times associated with those vaccines). Those signing up must show proof of vaccination, emailing rachel@saj.nyc ahead of time, if you have not already done so. We will not maintain a record of your vaccine card but will maintain a record that we saw it.
• On the morning of the service you will attend, you must fill out a symptom check form before entering the building.
• At this time, wearing a mask in the sanctuary, Social Hall (for teens), or Roof will be optional. The science currently supports unmasking when everyone present is vaccinated. However, we are monitoring the variants and if recommendations change to a more conservative policy before the High Holidays, this decision may change.
• All Sanctuary services will be streamed on Zoom, and will be the same high-quality experience as last year. Those attending via Zoom can fully participate in services, including having honors and sharing personal milestones in our community celebration.
• As much as we would love to see children in the sanctuary, at this time we are only allowing vaccinated individuals. Parents of unvaccinated children who wish to join the Sanctuary Service are invited to sign up for those times they are not attending an in-person Family service. If you are unable to attend a sanctuary service in person, please see below for more ways to connect with the sanctuary service.

In seeking to balance the values of pikuah nefesh (preservation of life), embrace of science, and community needs, our current protocols are:

As of Monday, March 6, 2023, SAJ’s sanctuary will be mask optional. This will make the sanctuary consistent with the lobby, social hall, elevator, Kaplan lounge, classrooms, and hallways. To be clear, mask wearing is welcome in the entire building and at any time at SAJ; now however it will no longer be mandated in the sanctuary space. We ask that everyone support each other’s individual choices in this matter.

As a reminder, we have invested in many air purifiers throughout the room and we benefit from a large and tall space which promotes good circulation. In addition, SAJ affirms our commitment to vaccination, requiring that everyone who spends time inside our building be as vaccinated and boosted as possible.

This decision was made in consultation with SAJ’s Covid Medical Task Force, which has advised us wisely along so many decisions in the past three years. This decision is consistent with local and national practices in houses of worship, schools, and many other places. Covid is now a reality of life– it will be with us for the long haul, and each of us will navigate how we manage risk and potential exposure. 

In addition, we ask that anyone who has been exposed to Covid follow the CDC guidelines for isolating, masking and testing. And to keep our whole community safe, please stay home if you have any symptoms. 

We recognize that for some of you, this email comes with a sigh of relief. For others, there may be feelings of trepidation. For those who have ongoing concerns, we encourage you to wear a KN95 mask for protection. Thankfully, we also have wonderful multi-access capabilities which enable anyone to participate in our services and the majority of our programs. Thank you to our A/V staff and to our Tish tech team for all they do to make it possible for our community to gather. 

Lastly, if at any point our medical team feels it is necessary for our sanctuary attendees to be required to mask for the safety of the community, we will let everyone know. Of course, we hope this will not be the case and that we will continue to be safe as a community, as we have been at each stage of the pandemic so far.

In seeking to balance the values of pikuah nefesh (preservation of life), embrace of science, and community needs, our current protocols are:

• Masks are required for all people at all times they are in the building and sanctuary.
• Advance sign-up is not necessary to attend services in person.
• You will be asked to complete a Covid Symptom Checklist within 24 hours of arrival to SAJ. You can access the form with this QR code or at   https://forms.gle/p2QXo7eTv6VgYxAx9. Please be prepared to show the confirmation email at the door. A QR code and Paper forms will also be available at the door.
• If you have received a booster or have not previously sent proof of your COVID vaccine to Rachel Bitterfield, please do so to rachel@saj.nyc. If you have not sent in your proof of vaccination, you will need to show it to the greeter upon arrival.