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Jersey City Times Staff

How Rosh Hashanah Celebrations are Adapting in the Age of Coronavirus

September 21, 2020/in header, Latest News, News /by Jersey City Times Staff

Online and outdoor services have been prepared and will dominate this holiday season to mitigate COVID-19 risks.

This story was written and produced by NJ Spotlight. It is being republished under a special NJ News Commons content-sharing agreement related to COVID-19 coverage. To read more, visit njspotlight.com.

Full story link – HERE.

By Michael Hill

At the Chabad of Bayonne, Rabbi Yisrael Bennish took NJTV News on a tour to show what COVID-19 era preparations and adjustments are being made for the Jewish new year celebration Rosh Hashanah, that starts Friday night at 7 p.m.

“We’re doing nothing indoors, we’re doing everything in this tent, so half outdoor, half indoor. It meets the guidelines of the Bayonne Health Department,” said Rabbi Yisrael Bennish, the director of Chabad of Bayonne.

Montclair State University epidemiologist Stephanie Silvera says outdoor and online services are the best way to respect the coronavirus and practice one’s faith.

“I know that in some of the reform communities, for example, they’re broadcasting their services via Zoom, which is another option. I know that’s more challenging for our conservative and orthodox community members, so in those cases if there’s a way to have an outdoor celebration, our outdoor services,” Silvera said.

Rabbi Dan Selsberg of Temple Sholom in Bridgewater says the loss of 11 people in his community has put a great weight on his shoulders, so holiday services will be online and outdoors with face coverings and social distancing.

“We have to respect where people are at. It’s important to take precautions,” Selsberg said. “Judaism, of necessity, has been built for hard times. And for better or worse, we’ve been through worse than this, so it’s designed to help carry us through periods when life isn’t ideal.”

COVID-19 realities have made Selsberg philosophical.

“Jews have been gathering at these holy days for thousands of years, literally since the dawn of civilization. I’ve had moments of fear that will this practice of thousands of years end on my watch?” he said. “God willing, we’re resilient enough that we will get through this hard time and we can make it to a period where we can flourish again and we can reinvent ourselves for whatever the world looks like post-pandemic.”

 

Header: Photo by Igal Ness on Unsplash

Tags: Coronavirus, Covid-19, Rosh Hashanah, Social distancing
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Mayor Fulop and Via,  announced the expansion to weekend service of Via’s on-demand publicly subsidized transit system.

A GoFundMe page has been created here for Christian Parra, age 34, of Jersey City, who was shot on Sunday night in BJ’s parking lot on Marin Boulevard and Second Street. He left a wife and three children. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor at 201-915-1345 or to leave an anonymous tip here. 

Jesus Gonzalez, 30, died in a car crash on Saturday night when the car in which he was a passenger hit the attenuator-protected guard rail on Christopher Columbus Drive near Merseles Street. The driver, also 30, was listed in critical condition at Jersey City Medical Center.

The Jersey City Education Association has started a GoFundMe campaign to support the family of 11-year-old Desire Reid and eight-month old Kenyon Robinson who died in a house fire on Martin Luther King Drive on Wednesday night. Here is the link.

Vaccine-eligible individuals can make an appointment online by visiting hudsoncovidvax.org.

The 2021 tree planting applications are available. If you have an empty tree pit on your block or a street you can fill out the form and the city’s arborists will handle it.  bit.ly/adoptatreespri…

Keep abreast of Jersey City Covid-19 statistics here.

Governor Murphy has launched a “Covid Transparency Website” where New Jerseyans can track state expenditures related to Covid.  Go here.

For info on vaccinations, call Vaccination Call Center and our operators will assist you with scheduling one: 855-568-0545

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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