Date:
This coming Saturday, January 7, we will gather at St. Albans at 1501 Washington Avenue in Albany from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm, to celebrate Shabbat, or you can participate via the Zoom link posted below. We'll also have a potluck kiddush lunch -- indoors -- for those who are comfortable.
We will have a very special drash this week given by Claire Sherman, an artist, community member, and a long-time friend of Or Zarua. She has an exhibit of quilts, some on Jewish themes, hanging at Saint Albans! She'll be giving us a tour of the exhibit, preceded by some thoughts tying her work to the parasha Va-ya'chi, when Jacob, on his death-bed, shares final words for each of his children. See this link for more on Claire.
If you'd like to stay for a potluck lunch, please test for covid before you come, bring an item to share that is vegetarian (kosher fish okay). We have a practice of labelling ingredients for reasons of individual allergies or diets.
COVID Health Protocols:
All people who attend Or Zarua services in person are to be vaccinated, including an up to date (2022) booster.
Everyone attending Or Zarua services in person must either wear a mask, OR have a negative rapid test the morning of the service. If you forget to test at home or don’t have a home test available and you want to unmask at the service, tests will be available for you to take at St. Alban’s.
People who have cold or other illness symptoms should participate via Zoom.
Seating will be spaced out but flexible. Please feel free to rearrange your chair if you want to sit close to people in your household, or if you want to make sure you are a greater distance from others.
We will open windows on both sides of the room for air circulation, so it may be a bit chilly inside. Dress accordingly.
Service leaders will do a rapid home test before the service and, if they wish, lead with masks off. We will set up the chairs so that the service leaders are more than five feet away from the rest of the community.
When we are gathered closely together around the Torah during the Torah service and during the Healing Circle, masks will be required for everyone. The Torah service leader should remind people of this at the time.
After the service, we will unmask for Kiddush, motzi and lunch (again, prior testing is necessary for unmasking). There will be a pause for people to leave if they would like.
You may also choose to participate in the service on Zoom. The link and password are posted below.
Zoom link for Or Zarua:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6880391088?pwd=dEQ3cWxqeGFoaE9CZE1QZ0dsN1FRQT09
Meeting ID: 688 039 1088
Passcode: uplift