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Shavua Tov

01/23/2022 08:56:43 PM

Jan23

Stacey Hudson

I did not realize when I took this position how much of my time would be devoted to safety. Safety from a deadly virus and safety from possible intruders. Please know that both issues are at the top of my mind every day.
The ReOpen Task force is meeting every two weeks so we can adjust our protocols as needed with the rapid changes with COVID-19. We are watching the St. Louis County COVID-19 website for changes that indicate it is safe to loosen our protocols. The county’s website shows we are in a dangerous red zone with the high number of cases. When the number of cases goes down, and the county’s dashboard shows that we are in the yellow zone, we will loosen our protocols. Until then, we will keep the number of attendees at services to 20, require proof of vaccination and specify the type of mask we will allow. Please see our COVID-19 safety page for details.
I was sitting at my desk writing the section of our emergency response manual on how we determine who we let into the building when a book I ordered, Warm and Welcoming, How the Jewish Community Can Become Truly Diverse and Inclusive in the 21st Century (edited by Warren Hoffman and Miriam Steinberg-Egeth) arrived. I had to stop and think: That moment illustrated our challenge. How do we balance being warm and welcoming and being careful to keep ourselves safe? That is what we need to figure out.
On Friday I met with Cpl. Jennifer Schwartz, Clayton Police Department Community Services and Public Information Officer. We had a lengthy discussion about safety training for our staff, teachers and members. We will start the training on dealing with intruders with meetings open to the congregation that will include a presentation given by Cpl. Schwartz and an opportunity for us all to ask questions.
We will also schedule times for smaller groups to participate in situational training so we learn what we need to do in the event of an intruder. I will let you know as soon as we have those scheduled so you can sign up to attend. I encourage everyone to come to a meeting and the situation training. The more people who know what do to in the event of an intruder the safer we will be.
Please check the website, e-mails and my blog for updates on these issues that are critical to our safety. And, if you would like to read the book Warm and Welcoming, please let me know. It is a wonderful book and we have copies you may borrow.
Tue, April 16 2024 8 Nisan 5784