Dear Members,
We hope that this message finds you and your families well and in good health.
We, the administration, are keenly aware of your desire to return to minyan as quickly as possible. We are working tirelessly on the logistics of how a return to “normal” will look. In maintaining the policy promulgated by our Poskim, Rav Hershel Schachter, Rav Mordechai Willig, and Rav Asher Weiss, we are still in a situation of ספק פיקוח נפש, a potentially life threatening situation. Additionally, we are still within the 14 day waiting period following the Governor’s order, which allows groups of ten individuals to gather for religious services. We are happy to report that the number of new cases of Covid-19 in our community continues to decline. As a result, we will begin to allow outdoor minyanim, beginning with Mincha/Maariv on Wednesday evening, June 3rd.
Due to the Governor’s order limiting gatherings — to ten individuals per building, Phase 1 of our return to minyan calls for outdoor minyanim only, which will be formed among neighbors. These minyanim will be limited to ten people as well. Members are therefore encouraged to begin organizing minyanim on their respective blocks for the June 3rd start. After Shavuos, we will be sharing communal guidelines for these minyanim. Due to the ten-person limit, please note that there will be no minyanim taking place at the Young Israel of Woodmere at this time.
We are looking forward to phase two, which will allow us, IY’H, to begin having minyanim inside the Young Israel of Woodmere.
We share your desire to resume communal prayer, tefilah betzibur at the shul, and we will notify you as soon as larger religious gatherings are permitted indoors.
We look forward to seeing and greeting you — from six feet away — very soon.
Thank you for your understanding.
Wishing you all a wonderful yom tov of Shavuos
Stuart Wagner, Josh Kalter. Ari Schulman.
