Health & Safety Committee Update

The Health & Safety Committee is committed to keeping you informed, answering your questions as they arise and listening to your comments and feedback. Please visit this page often as we will be regularly posting updates, additional FAQs and useful resources.

Throughout this journey, our motto has been, “Go Safe” and we have been guided by the Jewish value Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh B’Zeh/ Every Jewish person is Responsible One for the Other. It is important to understand that the precautions we are taking limit the risk of spreading the virus to others. Anshe Emet, like any other place of worship, cannot eliminate the risk of transmission entirely. While the Health & Safety Committee is focused on what is in the best health and safety interests of the congregation, we must also rely on each person to follow all guidelines and make decisions that limit the risks to themselves, their families, and others. Individuals should assess their own risk level based on a variety of factors such as age, physical condition, ability to wear a mask for long periods of time, work environment (are you exposed to high risk at work?) and out-of-state travel.

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AES COVID policy Update
May 19, 2022

Dear friends,

Given the current state of COVID-19, we would like to share this update from the Health and Safety Committee.
Part of our goal is to provide you with some good information and also update you on Anshe Emet’s current guidelines.

We are sure many of you have been following the news and cases of COVID are rising significantly and quickly. This is due to a number of factors including relaxing of public health measures, new Omicron variants that are more transmissible, and continued variability in vaccination rates.

• It is estimated that cases could be under-reported by as much as a factor of 10 – mostly due to the increase in home-testing, which is a good way for individuals to determine their status, but less effective to understand community transmission.
• Chicago is currently at approximately 50 cases/100,000 people per day and rising.  With under-reporting, it is likely much higher.
• Vaccinations are still highly effective against severe disease and hospitalization, but do not prevent all transmissions.
• Hospitalizations are a lagging indicator of cases and is a measure that is good for public health officials to look at burden on the system. It is NOT a good measure of community transmission level.

So what does this all mean for you as an individual and Anshe Emet?
While we are NOT mandating masking at Anshe Emet, we STRONGLY encourage the following:

1. Mask while indoors.
2. Use a mask that is well-fitted. Consider double masking and make sure the mask covers both your nose and mouth.
3. If you are participating in an activity with food, put your mask back on when you are done eating/drinking.
4. Social distance when feasible and try not to crowd in spaces.
5. If you have a known exposure or start to have symptoms, consider testing.

Remember, you should always check with your medical provider if you are not feeling well. Because some of the symptoms of flu and COVID-19 are similar, you may want to consider asking your provider about testing or treatment for influenza.

If you or someone in your household tests positive, here are some helpful links to information about what to do:

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/flu-vs-covid19.htm
https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/18/health/coronavirus-omicron-masking-vaccines-wellness/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/coronavirus-self-checker.html

As always, Anshe Emet is committed to creating a welcoming place for us to come together. We will continue to monitor case rates and other measures. We will also provide as many options for engaging in programs as possible – including streaming and on-line options, as well as using our outdoor space as much as possible.

The Clergy, Staff, and Health & Safety Committee* of Anshe Emet.

*Committee Members:
Dani Lazar, Chair
Libby Alpern, MD
Marla Clayman, PhD
Sam Schwartz-Fenwick
Seymour Turner
Curtis Weiss, MD