As Florida Reopening Gets The Go Ahead, Shuls Get the Brakes

by CrownHeights.info

As the government of Florida has initiated a staged opening of the state, the Rabbis and Jewish community leaders have announced in an open letter that shuls will remain closed, for now.

In the letter, the Rabbis write; “As parts of the State of Florida begin to reopen, we are all anxiously awaiting a return to our Shuls and the ability to once again pray together as one. However, it is important to remember that the Torah standard of protecting even one life, and the extent to which Jewish Law prioritizes even a Safek Pikuach Nefesh, (doubtful danger to life) overrides almost all other Halachic requirements.”

The Rabbis instead planned their own gradual opening, following stages different from those of the government.

“Therefore, the benchmarks and timeframe for reopening our Synagogues and Minyanim according to Torah values do not necessarily correspond to the government standards for reopening other parts of society.”

After consulting with medical professionals and experts, the Rabbis decided that they were still at “Stage 0”, and would therefore remained closed.

The Rabbis ended with a bud to remain vigilant, as the pandemic is far from over. “We want to emphasize that the Covid-19 pandemic appears to be far from over. Even as parts of society begin to reopen we urge you to continue to remain vigilant, including: hand hygiene, social distancing, staying home whenever possible and wearing a mask when warranted.”

[pdf-embedder url=”https://crownheights.info/assets/2020/05/UPDATED-Initial-Florida-Reopening-Letter-1.pdf” title=”UPDATED – Initial Florida Reopening Letter (1)”]