Tifereth Israel believes that vaccination is good for the community and relates strongly to not only shmirat haguf (caring for the body) but also to pikuach nefesh (preserving life), particularly in a pandemic.
This belief animates our existing Covid vaccine policy, which has been in place since the summer (see below). Now that children ages 5 to 11 are eligible for vaccines we anticipate expanding the policy once a reasonable time has elapsed to allow for full vaccination.
“All individuals over the age of 12 attending in-person services at Tifereth Israel must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Unvaccinated children under 12 are allowed to attend under the supervision of a parent or guardian and must remain masked while inside the building. If you are eligible for the vaccine, but have medical reasons for not being able to receive a Covid-19 vaccination, please discuss with Rabbi Werbow before attending in-person services. As of July 31, the District of Columbia has mandated that all individuals over the age of two wear a mask while indoors.”
The Board would prefer that everyone be vaccinated against other airborne diseases to protect our community as well. However, thanks to community feedback it is clear that the wording of the policy the Board approved in May and revised in October was confusing. As such, the Board has created a committee to revisit that vaccine policy, and has postponed the implementation of the vaccination policy (except the Covid policy as above) until that committee can propose, and the Board can approve, a newly revised vaccination policy.
If you'd like to contact that committee with your thoughts, please send an email to TIvaccinepolicy@gmail.com.
