Dear Greater Washington Jewish Community:<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, there has been a significant rise in the number of COVID -19 cases in the Greater Washington Jewish community, and more generally in Maryland and East Coast metropolitan areas.<\/p>\n
While we are all affected and unsettled by the current unprecedented challenge, we remain steadfast in our faith that Hashem will bring us all the strength to serve him properly even as we face this difficult time. While it is not possible to be together and enjoy each other\u2019s company this year as we normally would on Pesach, we should be mindful to try and strengthen each other and seek ways to reinforce each other even if remotely, by davening simultaneously albeit privately, as mandated in these times.<\/p>\n
We pray that Hashem grant a speedy and complete recovery very soon to all those affected by this horrendous virus and by the ripple effect of the pandemic.<\/p>\n
We express our incredible hakaras hatov, gratitude, to all of the healthcare workers and to all those involved in the many acts of chessed, Torah learning, and Tehillim throughout our community. It is spectacular to see how strong our community is at this time.<\/p>\n
With that in mind, we must reinforce how important it is to protect everyone in our community. The threat of infection and life-threatening illness is very real. It has come to our attention that there are community members who are ignoring the directives of medical professionals and are still planning on having guests to their homes on Pesach whether local or from out of town.<\/p>\n
We, therefore, feel the need to clearly and concisely review the precautions which we feel are critical for the members of our community to adhere to in this time in order to literally save lives. This represents not only the view of the rabbis below but the view of doctors and major poskim from around the country, across all sectors:<\/p>\n
Those who follow these directives fulfill the mitzvos of \u05d5\u05d7\u05d9 \u05d1\u05d4\u05dd and \u05dc\u05d0 \u05ea\u05e2\u05de\u05d5\u05d3 \u05e2\u05dc \u05d3\u05dd \u05e8\u05e2\u05da . Those who do not are putting their own lives and the lives of their brethren in danger.<\/p>\n
Our Jewish tradition teaches that our appropriate response in times of magefah is to increase our study of Torah and performance of Tzedakah and other mitzvos, in addition to obviously heeding the directives of our government and healthcare leaders in a most scrupulous manner.
\nWe encourage you to increase in the matters of Torah, Tefillah, Tzedaka and Ahavas Yisroel. Specifically:<\/p>\n
May Hashem grant us all \u05e8\u05e4\u05d5\u05d0\u05d5\u05ea \u05d5\u05d9\u05e9\u05d5\u05e2\u05d5\u05ea \u05d1\u05e7\u05e8\u05d5\u05d1 , speedy healing and salvation. May this month of Nisan and the upcoming holiday of Pesach be one of true \u05e9\u05de\u05d7\u05d4 , happiness, even as it will be very different this time, and one in which we see Hashem bring further redemption to the Jewish people and the world.<\/p>\n
Sincerely,<\/p>\n
Rabbi Nissan Antine
\nRabbi Eli Backman
\nRabbi Shlomo Beitsh
\nRabbi Mendel Bluming
\nRabbi Yitzchak Charner
\nRabbi Mendel Deitsch
\nRabbi Sholom Deitsch
\nRabbi Yechezkel Deitsch
\nRabbi Leibl Fajnland
\nRabbi Michoel Frank
\nRabbi Sender Geisinsky
\nRabbi Yehuda Glick
\nRabbi Yaakov Greiniman
\nRabbi Yehoshua Hecht
\nRabbi Shmuel Herzfeld
\nRabbi Amram Hes
\nRabbi Yossi Kastan
\nRabbi Zev Katz
\nRabbi Hershel Kranz
\nRabbi Eliezer Kreiser
\nRabbi Baruch Labkowski
\nRabbi Shmuel Leigh
\nRabbi Shmuel Lichtenstein
\nRabbi Ahron Lopiansky
\nRabbi Yitzchok Merkin
\nRabbi Shia Milikowsky
\nRabbi Mordechai Newman
\nRabbi Sholom Raichik
\nRabbi Levi Raskin
\nRabbi Eliyahu Reingold
\nRabbi Mordechai Rhine
\nRabbi Dovid Rosenbaum
\nRabbi Hyim Shafner
\nRabbi Levi Shemtov
\nRabbi Yehoshua Singer
\nRabbi Yosef Singer
\nRabbi Bentzy Stolik
\nRabbi Zvi Teitlebaum
\nRabbi Uri Topolosky
\nRabbi Moshe Walter
\nRabbi Brahm Weinberg
\nRabbi Menachem Winter
\nRabbi Berel Wolvovsky<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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