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An Important Update on Coronavirus and our Temple

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Dear RTFH Family,

As Coronavirus continues to spread across the world, the number of cases has increased dramatically within our own country and New York City. It is imperative that we take steps as a community to help limit the spread of this disease.

As a result and after much thought, deliberation, and in the best interests of our congregants, families, and staff, we have made the difficult decision to move all in-person activities to a virtual platform and postpone other programs beginning tonight, Friday, March 13 for the immediate future. Temple life has not come to a stop, as we will be adapting our Temple programming, including Shabbat Services and Religious School, to remote access.

This is new territory for all of us, so more information will be shared in the coming weeks. Please be patient as we work out the details. See below for updates on different areas of Temple. Please know while we will not be in the physical building of The Reform Temple of Forest Hills, our synagogue’s mission of welcoming, caring, and Jewish connection will continue through other means. As soon as it is safe to return to our building to gather together, we will do so.

We know that while this poses hardships on all of us, we feel confident that this is the right step to take together in order to keep our community safe.

At this time, there are no known cases of Coronavirus, nor any reported direct contact with anyone with Coronavirus, in The Reform Temple of Forest Hills community. If you or anyone in your household has a confirmed case or Coronvirus or has come into contact with someone with a confirmed case, please let us know by getting in touch with the Temple office.

Clergy Support

Our clergy are here for you, as they always are, and are ready in these times to meet by phone, FaceTime, or Zoom call. Please feel free to reach out to them directly.

Rabbi Mark Kaiserman can be reached at rabbikaiserman@rtfh.org

Cantor Emily Wigod Pincus can be reached at cantorpincus@rtfh.org

Worship Services

Beginning with tonight’s services all services will be livestreamed. Please do not come to the Temple building. This means you can join Shabbat services from your home on your computer or smartphone or even by telephone live during Shabbat via a Zoom link. We’ll provide you with a link for each service that will take you directly to the feed. A link for tonight’s services will provided by email later this afternoon. Details on how to use Zoom and the links for your computer or to call in will be provided via email, on Facebook, and on our website.

Religious School

We will transfer Religious School to online learning and at-home activities for each grade. Plans are in the works. This Sunday, March 15 and Wednesday, March 18 there will be no Religious or Hebrew School. Classes will soon be joining together from their own homes electronically. Classes will resume on Sunday, March 22.

Mitzvah Day

Mitzvah Day (Sunday, March 31) will be transformed into creative activities we can do from home and via computer. We can always do mitzvot wherever we are! We hope to still be able to hold the Blood Drive as health and safety protocols allow it.

Simcha! 25th Anniversary Concert

We want to hold our concert when we can truly come together in celebration. The April 4thconcert will be postponed to a later date.

Passover Seder

We are hopeful to offer our Second Night Seder in some form, but details are pending based on the current situation. We will create a meaningful Pesach wherever we are.

Meetings, Teen and Adult Educational Programs

All committee meetings and adult classes will take place via the Zoom app including Torah Study, Adult B’nai Mitzvah, and Confirmation. Links and instructions will be provided. ToFHY will continue to meet via technological apps. Watch your emails for details. We are also developing new events to keep you engaged and feeling part of our community!

B’nai Mitzvah preparation

Tutoring and D’var Torah Meetings will be held with the Cantor or the Rabbi via FaceTime or Zoom and not in person. We will continue to prepare for each student’s special day.

Communication

We will be relying on email as our primary form of communication to provide you links to programs and services, updates on new opportunities, and messages from the clergy. Please check your emails regularly to stay connected with RTFH. The Website (www.rtfh.org) and the Temple’s Member’s Facebook Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/rtfhny/) will also be updated.

Please do not come to the Temple building in the coming weeks. While staff will be working in the office, if you need something from the building or to drop something off, call ahead to make sure we are able to best welcome you.

Now more than ever we must strive to be connected and kind. Reach out to each other and show love in every action. We can’t control many things in our world. We can be the best versions of ourselves as Jews, as neighbors, and as humans. In these challenging times, RTFH will remain a strong community as we work to strengthen each other.  As we say at the end of each book of the Torah, chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek – let us be strong, and let us strengthen one another.

L’shalom,

Rabbi Mark Kaiserman

Neil Rosenblatt, President

Temple Update March 17, 2020

By in Uncategorized

Dear RTFH Family,
We hope this finds you well amid the physical and emotional challenges the coronavirus has created for us all. In the face of the growing health and safety issues in these unprecedented times, our values matter more than ever. Temple will continue to be a vibrant Reform Jewish community that strives to be a place of sacred encounter and a source of compassion and service to others even as the ways we encounter each other change.
Suspending On-Site Operations
Keeping the health and well-being of our entire community in mind, we are suspending on-site operations effective immediately and for the foreseeable future.
  • The building will be closed.
  • Staff will be working from home. We remain accessible. Email is the best way to reach us. Click here for staff contact information.
  • Your Rabbi and Cantor remain available to meet your pastoral, spiritual and communal needs. Please make sure to contact us if we can be of help to you in any way. 
Temple Life Goes Digital
Temple life will continue with Shabbat services, Religious School, Torah Study, meetings, and programs via digital platforms, primarily Zoom. Already we have had very successful Zoom encounters such as Friday night Shabbat services, a Religious School Teacher’s meeting, Confirmation, and Adult Bar/Bat Mitzvah on Zoom. It is easy to use and allows you to connect face-to-face with others from a computer, tablet, or smartphone. Downloading the free Zoom app makes it easier. It has an option to call in via telephone as well.
On Wednesday, we will send out instructions on how to use Zoom as well as links to join upcoming Temple events such Friday night services and Torah Study. Even if these are not events you have typically attended, give them a try from the comfort of your home as a way of remaining connected to your synagogue community, your Judaism, and the greater world. Links to religious school and specific meetings and programs will be shared directly to classes and individuals via email. Links to upcoming events will also be found here on our web site.
We are continuing to work out details as we strive to make The Reform Temple of Forest Hills the best it can be in these challenging times. We ask for your patience and support.
Be Kind To Yourself and Each Other
As move into our own homes, be kind to each other and to yourselves. Wherever we may be located in the coming weeks, we look forward to creating offerings that will reaffirm your sense of belonging in the vibrant and caring Jewish home that is The Reform Temple of Forest Hills.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Mark Kaiserman
Neil Rosenblatt, President
Stay in touch with the RTFH Community
  1. Check your e-mail regularly
  2. Visit this site for updated information.
  3. Visit our members only Facebook Group
  4. Call at least 1 friend a day from the Temple to say hello. Even better, make a video call with FaceTime, WhatsApp, or other app to see and speak with each other.
  5. Be kind to yourself and to everyone else.