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COVID-19

Updates and Pandemic Safety Protocols 

As we continue to navigate the pandemic, we remain focused on perpetuating Judaism’s highest values for maintaining life and health. Our COVID safety protocols continue to evolve based on current recommendations from health officials and with respect for Jewish traditions and teachings. Please check back regularly for updates.

Maintaining A Healthy Congregation

We have entered the cold and flu season, and face the possibility that there may be a seasonal surge of COVID-19. In the spirit of pikuach nefesh, protecting the life and health of others, please help us by following these common-sense measures:

 • If you have symptoms of illness, even if you have not tested positive for COVID, please avoid attending in-person activities at the Temple until you feel better.

 • If you have tested positive for COVID-19, please follow the recommended CDC guidance and stay away from in-person Temple activities as indicated. 

 • If you have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, please follow the recommended CDC guidance. If you live with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, please consider avoiding in-person Temple activities until it is recommended that they end their isolation period, per CDC guidance.

We continue to offer as many worship services and programs as possible via livestream on Zoom and YouTube.

If you have any questions about health precautions at the Temple, please be in touch with our Executive Director Samara Sheray (cavadmin@templecav.org).
 
Thank you!

COVID Safety Protocols for the Temple

In response to significant improvements in Allen County’s number of COVID cases, the Temple Board has discontinued mask and vaccination requirements in the building, effective March 10, 2022.

Please review our current protocols:

  • Proof of vaccination is not required to enter the building.
  • Masks are optional inside the Temple. However, staff members may request that masks be worn by visitors to their workspace.
  • The Temple President and staff may make adjustments to safety protocols as needed in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control.

Worship services on Friday evenings will continue to be held in the Sanctuary to give attendees the option to social distance. Saturday morning services most weeks will be held in the Goldstine-B’nai Jacob Chapel. Shabbat and other worship services will be offered in person and via livestream on Zoom and YouTube.

Food may be served at congregational events without COVID restrictions and in accordance with Health Department requirements and the Temple’s food policy.

For lifelong learning and other programs, please visit the calendar to see whether the event is in person, livestream only, or multi-access. Links are sent through a weekly email to our Temple family. Guests are welcome and invited to contact us for access information at (260) 744-4245 or office@templecav.org. 

We will continue to evaluate safety protocols on an ongoing basis, keeping Jewish values in mind and taking into account guidelines from health officials. Out of respect for others, please stay home if you are not feeling well, have a fever or cold symptoms, loss of taste or smell, or have been exposed to COVID.

We Are a Kehilla Kedosha (Holy Community)
 
Our COVID safety guidelines take into account that our members are part of a kehilla kedosha, a holy Jewish community, that connects us through the Covenant (brit) to one another.

We recognize:

  • It’s a mitzvah (commandment) to preserve one’s own health and well-being (sh’mirat haguf).
  • The COVID-19 vaccines approved by the FDA (Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J) qualify as r’fuah b’dukah, proven treatment, and it is therefore a mitzvah to get vaccinated unless one has a medical reason that makes it unsafe.
  • It is a mitzvah to adhere to standards of safety that avert obvious dangers (sakanat nefashot) to others or to oneself. Jewish tradition has long presumed that recognized medical experts are reliable.

Find the Responsa on Guidelines for Reopening After A Pandemic from the Central Conference of American Rabbis