Health & Safety Protocols

Dear Friends,

Change continues to be the constant in the Coronavirus pandemic.  At Temple Israel, we have carefully navigated safety protocols for the last three years, and as always we are following the data when revising our protocols. 

The overall infection rates in Westchester County and Croton on Hudson/adjacent towns are somewhat variable, but encouragingly the rates for severe infection/hospitalization remain relatively low.  Based on this data and school/state/CDC recommendations, we are revising our protocols. 

Masks will remain voluntary for access inside the Temple Israel building and on the Temple Israel grounds, for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.  We still strongly recommend vaccinations and boosters for everyone eligible to get them, as they have been conclusively shown to reduce the rate of severe infection, hospitalization, and death for circulating variants.  If possible, please maintain a three-foot space between family “pods” when you sit in groups, but we understand that this cannot be expected for well-attended events.  We will continue to do outdoor activities whenever possible - the outdoors and good ventilation continue to be our friend to minimize transmission. If you have any symptoms of COVID illness as specified by the CDC (cough, congestion, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, headache, loss of smell/taste), please do not enter Temple Israel.  If you have a COVID exposure, please test immediately prior to entering Temple Israel and wear a mask, or attend events remotely.  As before, we leave your adherence to these protocols to the honor system.  Our clergy will discuss the protocols for b’nai mitzvah services with each family.

Temple Israel may modify these rules depending on changing infection rates, NYS or CDC guidelines, or our medical consultant’s recommendations.

May Covid-19 continue to recede quickly in our rear-view mirrors.