Dear Friends,

We write to you once again with an update on how we are responding to rapidly unfolding events. At this time, while there are no cases of COVID-19 at Temple Jeremiah, a member of our staff was exposed to someone who has a confirmed case of COVID-19.  We have decided that the only and best course of action is to close the Temple to all programming and worship through April 1st. We will continue to monitor information from the CDC and the WHO as well as local and state authorities and update our plan. The health and safety of our community is our primary concern.

Here is what this means:

  • Rabbi Cohen, Rabbi Heaps, Cantor Friedman, Dr. Anne Lidsky, Danny Glassman, and Barbara Miller will all be available during this time to guide, support and help in every way that we can. For your convenience, you can contact us at:
  • There will be no in-person worship. All Shabbat services will be hosted online. We also have an electronic copy of our prayer book, Mishkan T’fillah that you can use to follow our worship.
  • We have set up a resource page on Temple Jeremiah’s website for updates, virtual programming, and resources from around our community.
  • Religious school is closed until further notice. Teachers are preparing excellent remote learning opportunities for your children, including interactive Hebrew experiences. Please go to our resource page to find links to online programs.
  • All temple meetings will be held by video conference. No meetings will be held at the Temple. If you have not received a Zoom link by the day of your meeting, please contact the staff member assigned to your committee, task force, or group.
  • For a quick tutorial from Rabbi Heaps on how to access the correct Zoom link through our calendar, visit this video on our Temple YouTube channel. If you have difficulty accessing any of our online sessions, please contact Rabbi Heaps (cell: 914.393.7970) for tech support.

Again we ask you to:

  • Go onto your ShulCloud Account as soon as you can to make sure your contact information is up to date and that we have your cell phone number/email. If we need to communicate with you, we need to be sure we have your correct contact information.
  • Check our website for status updates.

We would like to share these words of comfort:

,אלוהינו ואלהי אבותינו ואמותינו,

Our God and God of our mother and our fathers,
Grant us strength in this time of uncertainty and fear.
Fill our hearts with compassion and our minds with wisdom.

We need patience and faith to care for ourselves and one another.
We need courage and fortitude to meet the challenges of this day.

Help us deal kindly with one another,
and deepen our connections to loved ones and friends.
Help us reach out to the vulnerable and heal the sick.

May each of us shine the light within,
To illuminate the world in this dark time.

Amen.

Our clergy and executive staff would also like to share the following message with you:

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Rabbi Cohen, Danny Glassman, or Barbara Miller. Each member of our staff is here for you. Our tradition teaches us that Kol Yisrael arivim zeh l’zeh, each of us is responsible for one another. Each of us are a part of this community to draw strength from one another, to care for one another, and to support one another.

Shalom,

Rabbi Paul F. Cohen
Senior Rabbi

Danny Glassman
Executive Director

Barbara Miller
Temple President