COVID-19 Updates

 
Contact our COVID-19 Task Force at COVIDresponse@mkorshalom.org

All communications with our response team are confidential.

1. For services this Friday night, April 22, all participants and congregants must be masked at all times in the building.
2. For the Post Passover Pizza Party Friday night, food will be served outdoors (where masks may be removed).
3. For our Jerusalem of Gold program on Sunday April 24, all audience members must be masked. Note- Cantor and other performers will be unmasked while performing.

Update: Important COVID Protocol Changes

March 18, 2022

• All synagogue activities, including Administration, ECC, Religious School, services and social activities will become "mask optional". Masks are still encouraged as a strong public health protective measure, but they will not be required.
• Food will be permitted to be served at synagogue events. Those preparing and serving the food must wear masks and gloves while preparing and serving.
• Full vaccination of all individuals is a significant safety measure to keep our congregation and visitors safe, and to allow for optional masking. As such, our current protocol requiring anyone 12 and older who enters the building to show proof of vaccination will remain unchanged.
• Due to the historic rise in cases after school breaks, ECC and Religious School will temporarily return to requiring masks for 7 days after spring break.
• All other safety measures and protocols will remain unchanged. Of note, we have already been mask optional for vaccinated individuals outdoors since spring 2021. We have also permitted young children to remove their masks outdoors for safety when it is warm outside.

Update: Important COVID Protocol Changes

January 21, 2022

• We will remain virtual through February 5 and resume all in-person activities on Sunday, February 6, 2022. The office will be open, religious school will be in person, and other synagogue activities may take place in person as they did in December.
• Services will resume in person on Friday, February 11.
• Mask protocol update: Based on current CDC recommendations, beginning on 2/1, all congregants, students, staff and guests in the building will be required to wear EITHER an N95, KN95 or KF94 mask (without valve) OR a 3-ply disposable surgical type mask (alone or under a cloth mask).
• Cloth masks alone will no longer be permitted as they are significantly less effective.
• We will have surgical masks always available.
• As a reminder, all teens 12 and older will require documentation of vaccination to return. We strongly recommend, but do NOT require at this time, vaccination for children age 5-11.
• Travel and return after exposure or illness protocols have been updated. You will receive additional details from the ECC/Religious school staff.

Update: Important COVID Protocol Changes

January 2, 2022

Dear Friends,

As we continue to live with the Covid pandemic and cope with the rapid surge of the Omicron variant, our protocols at M'kor Shalom continue to change.

Every decision made and policy or protocol we establish is done with the most recent scientific information provided by the CDC and the National Institute of Health, together with the NJ Governor's office and executive orders, and any local rules and requirements.

We want our family of families to continue to worship, learn and engage with each other and our community in spiritual and meaningful ways while always remembering our overriding Jewish core value of "pikuach nefesh," the preservation of human life.

In our ongoing effort to ensure the safety of our congregation we have instituted the following changes, EFFECTIVE January 3, 2022:

• ECC will return in person as planned. We have made some changes in testing protocols to offer alternative options due to the difficulty many are having in finding tests. You will receive additional details from the ECC leadership.
• Religious School will be virtual until at least MLK weekend. We will be continuously reassessing the situation to hopefully return to in-person learning as soon as it is safe to do so. Details on programming will be coming from the Religious School leadership.
• Friday evening services will be virtual only until MLK weekend, then we will reassess.
• The Main Office staff will be working remotely until MLK weekend. If you need to contact the Main Office, please call 856-424-4220 or email LauraMaron@mkorshalom.org.
• All other synagogue programming will be virtual through MLK weekend.

Returning to all virtual is not a decision we took lightly but given the current situation it is necessary. We will be continuously reassessing to hopefully return to in-person as soon as we safely can.

Sincerely,
Drew Molotsky, President
Rabbi Jennifer L. Frenkel
Cantor Rhoda J. Harrison, Ph.D.
Art Treiman, Executive Committee Liaison to the Covid Task Force

Update: New Covid Protocols for M'kor Shalom

November 21, 2021

As we continue to live with the Covid pandemic, our protocols at M'kor Shalom continue to change.

Every decision made and policy or protocol we establish is done with the most recent scientific information provided by the CDC and the National Institute of Health, together with the NJ Governor's office and executive orders, and any local rules and requirements.

We want our family of families to continue to worship, learn and engage with each other and our community in spiritual and meaningful ways while always remembering our overriding Jewish core value of "pikuach nefesh," the preservation of human life.

In our ongoing effort to ensure the safety of our congregation and guests while allowing for as much in-person activity as possible, the Executive Committee has approved the following changes in our Covid protocols:

EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 21, 2021:

• Adults 18 and older will be required to show proof of vaccination to enter the synagogue starting 11/21/2021.
• Individuals 12-17 will be required to show proof of vaccination to enter the synagogue starting 1/1/2022.
• We strongly encourage those 5-11 to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
• If an individual is medically unable to get vaccinated, they must bring proof of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of entering the building.
• We'll be using the simple method of having people show valid proof of vaccination on entry to the synagogue. Valid proof of vaccination includes: vaccination card, photo or digital copy of proof of vaccination.
• Note: "Proof of vaccination" means that an individual is at least 14 days after their final vaccine dose.
• Our current protocol requiring masks at all times while in the building has not changed.

Drew Molotsky, President
Rabbi Jennifer L. Frenkel
Cantor Rhoda J. Harrison, Ph.D.
Art Treiman, Executive Committee Liaison to the Covid Task Force

Update: M'kor Shalom's Pandemic Policies

August 2, 2021

As we approach the High Holiday Season and conditions in our community and around the country continue to change, I wanted to provide an update to our congregation as to our pandemic related policies and procedures.

After several weeks of careful consideration by our Reopening Task Force, as well as our Board of Trustees, Executive Committee, and clergy, we have decided that we will continue require masks for all indoor services and events moving forward. This will include the upcoming High Holidays. This important decision has been reached in order to maintain the highest level of safety and concern for our entire congregation, and to protect our families with children and individuals who remain unable to get vaccinated or are immunocompromised.

Our plan remains in place to have High Holidays services in person, in our sanctuary, with additional options for access in our outdoor tent and at home through Zoom. Masking will not be required in the outdoor tent but please note that reservations are required for the tent as seating is limited. You can get additional details on our website and by clicking on the “High Holiday Central” button. If circumstances change and further adjustments become necessary, we will keep everyone informed. Whatever manner is most comfortable to you, we look forward to seeing you.

If you have any questions, please reach out to me or to our Synagogue Administrator, Laura Maron, by email or phone (856-424-4220).

Drew Molotsky
President

Return to In-Person Shabbat Services

April 23

Dear Friends,

We are very excited to invite you back into our Sanctuary to experience Erev Shabbat services from there once again. This is the latest update to our COVID policy. Because the vaccine is available to everyone over the age of 16, we feel we are now able to offer the option of in-person Shabbat services with specific safety precautions in place:

· Based on the size of our sanctuary, we will allow a maximum of 75 people for at least the month of May, as we roll out this program.
· All congregants two years and older attending in-person services must wear a mask (covering both nose and mouth) at all times.
· All congregants will be seated six feet apart from anyone not in their household.
· You must make a reservation with the synagogue office in order to attend. Details on how to register will be in the weekly synagogue email.
· We will still broadcast Shabbat services over Zoom and provide a Zoom link in our weekly synagogue e-mail for those who are not attending in-person.

We look forward to seeing you, whether in person or on Zoom, from our sanctuary starting on Friday, May 7, at our 7:30pm service. During this service, we will by joined by guest speaker Rabbi Rami Shapiro.

It is, and always has been, our highest priority to provide a sacred and meaningful experience for you, while protecting your health as much as we possibly can. This policy reflects the current situation and may change at any given moment depending on the recommendations of the CDC and the State of NJ. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

L’shalom,

Marlene Dworkin, President
Art Treiman, Covid Task Force Executive Committee Liaison
Cantor Rhoda J. Harrison, Ph.D.

Covid-19 Vaccine Update from Congressman Norcross

County Sites & Vaccine Resources

January 21, 2021
New Jersey continues to roll out the COVID-19 vaccines in a phased approach to all adults who live, work or are being educated in the State. Below, please find links to a few of the major vaccine registration sites in Camden, Gloucester and Burlington counties.

Vaccinating the State will take patience and time, as vaccination appointments depend on the number of vaccine doses that New Jersey receives each week and the number of frontline workers available to administer shots.

To receive updates from my office on the vaccine rollout, make sure you are subscribed to my newsletter.

County Sites:

• Camden County Vaccination Center
• Gloucester County Mega Vaccination Center
• Burlington County COVID-19 Vaccine Mega-Site at the Moorestown Mall
• Rowan Medicine Vaccination Center

Vaccine Resources:

• For information on vaccines for veterans, click here.
• To view all of the vaccine locations in New Jersey, click here.
• For more information on the vaccine roll-out phases, and to see what phase you are in, click here.
• To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccines and New Jersey's vaccination plans, click here.
• For additional information from New Jersey Department of Health on COVID-19 vaccination, click here.
• For additional COVID-19 related resources, please visit my office’s vaccine information page and COVID resource page.

While the distribution of the vaccine continues to provide us hope, we must remember this is a marathon, not a sprint, and now is not the time to let up in our efforts to slow the spread of this deadly virus. Remember to continue to follow the 3 W's: watch your distance, wear a mask and wash your hands.

It is an honor to serve this community and we will get through this, together.

Sincerely,
Donald Norcross
Member of Congress

A Letter from Our President

Fall 2020
The current COVID-19 crisis is impacting all of us in different ways, some financial, some emotional, all physical.

At Congregation M'kor Shalom, we are trying to infuse Jewish values in everything we do. We are feeding the hungry, honoring the essential workers in our community, and reaching out to our members to check up on them, taking the temperature of their needs (offering shopping for groceries, more frequent check-ins, etc.). If you or another congregant you know would benefit from a check-in and more support from our leadership or clergy, please let us know at this address COVIDresponse@mkorshalom.org.

Examples of our programming in response to the crisis are:
Shabbat services via Zoom
Torah study and Spice Up Your Judaism every Saturday via Zoom
Virtual B'nai Mitzvah tutoring
Virtual Shiva minyanim
Adult Education programming
Pastoral phone calls

We are committed to taking care of our staff.
We have also reduced our expenses wherever possible by significantly reducing security, maintenance and utilities.

To do all of this, we need your help and support. While we know this crisis has created financial difficulties for many of us, we ask those who are able, to help us get through this together. The synagogue has set up an emergency campaign to enable the community to support our congregants and provide the resources. Please consider donating to this campaign. Your gift, of any size, will make a difference for our synagogue. Please click HERE to make a donation.

Times likes these challenge us to determine how we want to live and support one another. We are so proud of our community and for the way that our clergy, staff, and congregants have stepped up to take care of one another. A special thank you to Rabbi Frenkel, Cantor Harrison, Jill Moghadam and Michelle Bross for working tirelessly to ensure our congregation stays connected, safe, and spiritually supported.

Thank you also to our Executive Committee and our Board of Trustees for working long hours, making crucial decisions, and putting plans into place so we could run as efficiently as possible during this pandemic.

Our building remains closed at this time, but we are certainly open, educating our students, worshiping together and working toward a better world. Thank you for being a part of our special community, our M'kor Shalom family.

L'shalom,
Marlene Dworkin
President

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