Dear Cleveland community member,
We hope you and your family continue to stay safe.
We have launched a website to aggregate all resources and information about the Coronavirus and its impact on the Cleveland Jewish community. https://www.jewishcleveland.
You can find previous updates here.
As a reminder, we can be contacted at: covid19@agudathisrael-oh.org or by calling 216-848-0379. Please call for assistance, we’re here to help!
We have an urgent need for block captains to help us collect crucial contact info and serve as leaders in our response. If you are willing to take this on for your block, please email BlockCaptains@agudathisrael-
The guidelines below are designed to protect our community. You will save lives by taking these precautions and being extraordinarily careful.
With all of the yeshiva bochurim returning home and particularly for those returning from Israel, we wanted to strongly emphasize the advice of our physicians:
- Anyone who has recently traveled from Israel, New York or New Jersey, or any bochurim who have returned from dormitory yeshivos, should be extremely cautious during this time, as they have higher rates of virus exposure, even a-symptomatic. Good social distancing is crucial and these people should not leave home unless absolutely necessary. Any of these people who have symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc) should immediately self-quarantine for 14 days (i.e. stay in separate quarters in the house ideally with a separate bathroom without exposure to others). Similarly, anyone who has had contact with others suspected or proven to be positive for the COVID virus should immediately self-quarantine for 14 days from the date of their last exposure.
- We discourage playdates, socializing, and unnecessary interactions in public places for all ages. We know that it will be difficult for families to keep to themselves while their children are out of school, but it is imperative that children are not mingling in groups. If they do continue to play as usual, the positive effects of social distancing will be undone.
Furthermore, it is worth reemphasizing the following for the ELDERLY, VULNERABLE and IMMUNOCOMPROMISED:
We implore the elderly population to stay at home. Any community members in those populations who need any kind of assistance can contact us at covid19@agudathisrael-oh.org or by calling 216-848-0379. Many of the food establishments and grocery stores offer delivery. More information can be found here: https://www.jewishcleveland.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
- A community-wide committee is forming to prepare for those who have lost their income due to the Coronavirus and thus will have difficulty preparing for Yom Tov and beyond. We will share information on this in the coming days.
- Additionally, we understand that many individuals have questions regarding their personal finances given the current economic climate. We are looking for volunteers that can assist in this arena. If you are able to help, please contact dgross@geshercleveland.org.
- Additional info on unemployment and SBA loans can be found here.
Many families may find themselves in the situation of making Pesach for the first time. Rav Boruch Hirschfeld will be giving a shiur on Hilchos Pesach, Sunday evening at 8 PM. Additional resources can be found on Cleveland Kosher’s website.
All the wonderful Chesed organizations in our community continue to operate. Information can be found here.
Stay safe,
Yitz
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