COVID Announcements
To Our EBJC Community:
Partial Reopening as of July 17, 2020.
We are pleased to announce that as of 7/17 we will have Friday night services outdoors in our new structure located on the basketball court. There are rules and guidelines to follow to ensure the health and safety of our members and clergy.
We are limiting attendance to 10 families of two or a total of 20 people. Registration is a must and priority will be given to those that have a yahrzeit or are within the mourning period of needing to say Mourners Kaddish. In order to register you must answer a series of questions. Particulars have been shared with the community via email. As this is our first outside in-person service, we expect there will be changes to our current requirements and procedures that will continue to evolve for successive services. If you want to participate in future in-person services, please respond to and answer all questions that will be sent in future emails in order to register and attend.
Building Closing as of March 13, 2020.
In response to numerous concerns from congregants, and after serious deliberation, we have decided to adopt the recommendation of the New Jersey Rabbinical Association, and temporarily suspend all activities. This includes daily and Shabbat services at EBJC beginning Friday night, March 13th. We realize that this decision precludes us from the mitzvah of praying in a Minyan and therefore of saying Kaddish. However, our sages teach that when we are unavoidably prevented from attending minyan, that studying a sacred text (Torah, Psalms, Talmud, etc) is equal or superior to saying Kaddish.
Until it is deemed safe to resume services, the Rabbi and Cantor will live stream abbreviated services on Friday nights at 6 pm and Saturday mornings at 10 am including an extended D’var Torah.
This is the link to live stream services, classes, and other programming: https://www.ebjc.org/online-events
This is a temporary measure which will be reviewed frequently, and we will update the community regularly. This was not an easy decision to make. We are doing this in accordance to the Talmudic principle of Pikuach Nefesh, the preservation of life taking precedence over all other obligations.
Our staff and clergy are available for you. Please call the office during normal business hours if you need to reach them, or, in an emergency, you may call Rabbi Pivo on his cell phone: 847-777-9682.
Steve Zeidwerg Co-President
Bob Salston Co-President
