5 Towns rabbis, mikvahs, post statement on health and halachic implications of virus

Twenty-five rabbis in the Five Towns community signed this statement before Purim addressing health and halachic questions arising from concern over the coronavirus.

We are writing this letter after a week of hearing about the spread of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, in the Jewish community in New York area. While the risks remain low, we are taking proactive steps in all the shuls in the neighborhood in order to avoid further spreading of the virus. We recommend people stay calm and stay vigilant. While we are concerned about the spread of this virus, we need to understand these measures are here to create more safety and security. This letter has been written with close consultation of responsible medical authority.

DAY TO DAY

Shul Attendance

The policy in every shul will be posted by the doors of each shul:

“Please note, anyone who has fever and respiratory illness (e.g. cough or shortness of breath), please do not enter the shul premises as per the guidelines of the Five Towns community as advised by the CDC ”

Additionally, It is recommended that all shul-goers follow the guidelines below:

•Wash your hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

•Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or sleeve.

•Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

•Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Each shul is increasing the frequency of public area cleaning of all surfaces that are commonly touched by hands such as the entryway doors, sanctuary door handles, bookshelves, siddurim and seforim, etc.. 

Working with these assumptions, regular service will continue including:

We are keeping the minyanim as regular.

Shiurim will continue as regular as of now.

At this point Youth Groups will continue as usual.

Please note that people who are older are at greater risk. Please consult your personal physician whether or not to be in a public setting. 

Hand shaking

We recommend not shaking hands under the current circumstances.

We recommend not dancing with contact such as holding hands, but dancing with hands on another person’s shoulder does not seem to pose a significant risk.

Gloves are not recommended since this will only further spread potential infections.

Kissing the Sefer Torah

We recommend not kissing the siddurim and the sifrei Torah directly with one’s mouth.

Kiddushim/Seudah Shlishis/Coffee Stations

There is no medical evidence that this is a higher risk gathering.

While some shuls have decided to suspend Kiddushim, this is left to the discretion of each shul based on the reality on the ground of each shul’s setting.

[The rabbis also discussed questions involving Purim, which is now past.]

Signed, Rabbi Shalom Axelrod, Young Israel of Woodmere; Rabbi Heshie Billet, Young Israel of Woodmere; Rabbi Heshy Blumstein, Yismach Moshe; Rabbi Pinchas Chatzinoff, Congregation Tiferres Tzvi; Rabbi Dovid Cohen, Congregation Ohr Torah; Rabbi Aaron Feigenbaum, Irving Place Minyan; Rabbi Yitzchok Frankel, Agudas Yisrael of the Five Towns; Rabbi Aryeh Zev Ginzberg, Chofetz Chaim Torah Center ; Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt, Young Israel of Woodmere; Rabbi Kenneth Hain, Congregation Beth Sholom; Rabbi Simcha Hopkovitz, Young Israel of Hewlett; Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz, Beis HaKnesses of North Woodmere; Rabbi Simcha Lefkowitz, Congregation Anshei Chesed; Rabbi Avi Miller, Congregation Beth Sholom; Rabbi Uri Orlian, Congregation Shaaray Tefila; Rabbi Ephraim Polakoff, Beis Tefillah; Rabbi Mordechai Prus, Jewish Center of Atlantic Beach ; Rabbi Zvi Ralbag, Congregation Bais Ephraim; Rabbi Shay Schachter, Young Israel of Woodmere; Rabbi Yehuda Septimus, Young Israel of North Woodmere; Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum, Young Israel Lawrence-Cedarhurst; Rabbi Ya’akov Trump, Young Israel Lawrence-Cedarhurst; Rabbi Moshe Weinberger, Aish Kodesh; Rabbi Akiva Willig, Beis Medrash of Woodmere; Rabbi Mordechai Yaffe, Kehillas Ateres Yaakov.

Mikvah statements

South Shore Mikvah Message

Congregation Mikvah South Shore continues to have protocols in place to ensure that attending the Mikvah will be a safe, secure and healthy experience. Our current protocols are: 

1. Preparation rooms continue to be cleaned in between each use (sometimes multiple times in one 24 hour period) with a disinfecting cleanser and with emphasis on any hand-held items.

2. Our common areas and waiting rooms are thoroughly cleaned on a daily basis, and will be cleaned throughout the night with Clorox wipes and other various disinfectant products. 

3. All Mikvah pools are filtered daily and are treated with ozone to eliminate germ contamination. 

4. The floors of the Mikvah will be cleaned nightly with a disinfectant. 

5. We have once again impressed upon our daytime and nighttime cleaning staff the importance of their attention to our ongoing protocols and our demanding extra vigilance at this time. 

6. Our spacious facility provides for minimum waiting room time, if any, which reduces congestion and close contact among patrons. 

Additionally, we are working in consultation with Rabbi Dr. Aaron E. Glatt, Chairman, Department of Medicine, Chief of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiologist at Mount Sinai South Nassau, community Rabbis and poskim, and Rabbi Mordechai Willig, Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshiva University. 

A woman who is under quarantine must follow the recommendations of the CDC and local government agencies. She may not break quarantine to immerse in the mikvah, as this is a situation of pikuach nefesh, and is forbidden.

The CDC has issued travel advisories for China, Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. We therefore ask that if in the past 14 days you have traveled to any of these locations, or to any other locations designated by the CDC, please ask a halachic shaylah and be in contact with the Mikvah. Please do not come to the Mikvah with any symptoms of illness, including fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and upper respiratory infection.

May our exercise of social responsibility and commitment to the laws of family sanctity bring health and spiritual protection to our homes and to all of k’lal Yisrael. 

Grove Street Mikvah Message 

The Grove Street Mikvah, from the beginning, has taken special care in ensuring, to the best of our abilities, that our Mikvah provides a safe & healthy experience. Please take comfort in the fact that we are reviewing our protocol with all of our staff as well as adding a couple new policies. See below: 

1. Our preparation rooms are all thoroughly cleaned every single day in addition to being cleaned nightly between each patron. Disinfectants are used and we are specifically focusing on all handheld items. 

2. As always, every Patron receives a box of individually wrapped supplies for their own personal use, which minimizes the sharing of germs. 

3. We have hand sanitizer throughout the facility for our patrons as well as our staff. 

4. All of our Mikvah pools are filtered and treated daily. 

5. We have stressed the importance of our protocol with our daytime and nighttime cleaning staff. 

6. Our spacious facility provides for minimal, if any, waiting room time, which reduces close contact among patrons. Our waiting room is thoroughly cleaned and wiped down daily. 

7. We have and will continue to consult with Medical Professionals as well as Rabbinic authority. 

We do need your help. Should you have any flu-like symptoms, or if you have been exposed to anyone ill, please discuss with your Doctor and Rav before coming to the Mikvah. Please call the Mikvah in advance to discuss any such situations. 

Thank you for partnering with us. We daven that our joint effort will bring physical and spiritual health to all of Klal Yisroel. 

Congregation Tifereth Zvi