Synagogues, grappling with Delta, try to plan for High Holidays

year ago, decisions regarding how to worship as the High Holidays approached were relatively simple, if unavoidably bleak. As the coronavirus pandemic rode triumphant over virtually every aspect of communal life, few Colorado synagogues actually opened their doors for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur or the other Holy Days. By September, 2020, most synagogues had already halted in-person services for Shabbat and other activities; the long, lonely autumn and winter of 2020-21 was just getting started. Now, with Rosh Hashanah commencing on Sept. 6 – only a month away — things aren’t so simple. As vaccines drew battle lines against the virus this spring, COVID infection rates, hospitalizations and deaths began a dramatic decline. In early summer, mandated mask wearing, restaurant and bar closures and requirements […]