Coronavirus Update

COVID-19 Coronavirus Update

The public health situation regarding the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic is evolving daily.

4/1/20: 180 cases of the virus, and 6 deaths, have now been confirmed in Lake County, IN. Visit in.gov/coronavirus for county-by-county reports from the Indiana State Department of Health.
3/31/20: Your small business, nonprofit or congregation could be eligible for a significant loan under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The loans can be used for operational costs including payroll expenses, health benefits and insurance premiums, rent payments or mortgage interest, and even interest on debt incurred before the covered period. The application process will open April 3, but you can begin preparing your application now. The Jewish Federations of North America has put together an info page with sample applications and more.
3/27/20: President Trump signed an unprecedented $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief bill that includes a $1,200 stimulus check for most adults and $500 per child. The vast majority of people do not need to take any action. The IRS will calculate and automatically send the economic impact payment to most eligible recipients over the next 3 weeks.
3/25/20: Indiana's primary election, initially scheduled for May 5, has been postponed to June 2. All voters may choose to cast a ballot by mail in this primary. To request an absentee-by-mail ballot, please complete this form (ABS-Mail Primary 2020) and return it to your county election officials. The deadline to return the form is May 21, 2020.
3/23/20: Governor Holcomb has issued a Stay-at-Home Order for all individuals currently living in the state of Indiana. This order takes effect Tuesday night, March 24, at 10:59pm (Central time) and extend through at least April 7.
3/19/20: Governor Holcomb has ordered all Indiana public and private schools to remain closed through at least April 30.
3/16/20: Governor Holcomb has declared that all restaurants and bars in the state of Indiana must close their dine-in offerings as of 2:30pm on March 16, but may continue to provide take-out and delivery services through the end of March.
3/16/20: The CDC recommends that for the next 8 weeks (through approx. May 8), organizers throughout the United States should cancel or postpone all in-person gatherings of 50 people or more. Federation events unfortunately impacted by this guideline include AFC's Passover Seder on April 1, our Candidates Forum on April 2, and Israel Solidarity Day on April 26.

Federation Updates

As a human services agency, the Federation office is currently expected to remain open for the duration of the crisis. Hours of operation may vary. Please call ahead.

Out of concern for the health and safety of our community, Federation is expanding our roster of support services for the duration of the crisis.

Our kosher meal home delivery on Mondays and Wednesdays is now available to all Northwest Indiana Jewish community members who would like to participate. See details at right.
*Subject to change pending further public health mandates. As an essential human service agency, we will continue meal service as long as we are able to remain open.
Our Food Pantry will expand its hours to 12pm-3pm on Thursdays. Due to the anticipated increase in usage, and to minimize face-to-face contact, we will move temporarily to a system of pre-packing food boxes rather than allow visitors to shop the pantry.
In light of the above, we can use additional healthy volunteers to deliver meals, run errands, and other services. Please contact the Federation office if you would like to participate.

Kosher Meal Home Delivery
Please order by 10am for same-day meals. Click below for the online order form, or call the office at 219-301-0960. You may leave voicemail outside of regular office hours.

View Menu & Place Orders

Deliveries will be made between 12-2pm each day. Cost is $8 per meal. In case of financial hardship, pay what you can. No money will be collected at time of delivery; we will track orders and send invoices.

K'Ton Ton Preschool is closed effective Friday, March 13, through at least April 30. As public health recommendations have been rapidly evolving, we will evaluate when is the best time to return.

All Adult Friendship Club on-site lunches and programs as well as Chair Yoga are cancelled through at least April 30, 2020. Plans for May will be announced as they unfold, based on the developing situation. At the same time, we know that times of isolation and sickness re exactly when our seniors need social and nutritional support the most. Please contact Susan Tepperman, Jewish Community Services Coordinator, at susan@federationonline.org if you know of someone who is immune-compromised or a senior who may need resources,

Congregational Resources

All organizations will continually monitor CDC and government safety suggestions to determine the best time to restart activities.

Chabad of Northwest Indiana - Munster:
We will continue to share words of wisdom and Torah through email and social media since Judaism is never in quarantine!

Visit Chabad's Facebook page at facebook.com/chabadnwind for livestreamed services and more.
Coronavirus Quarantine Kaddish Service via Chabad.org. Coronavirus preventing you from saying kaddish? Chabad volunteers can help.

Congregation Beth Israel - Munster:
The health and well-being of our congregational family is always our highest priority.

All religious services are cancelled through at least April 7.
Rabbi Levin is sending out a new weekly email called "Welcoming Shabbat," with new content to celebrate Shabbat at home.
Masa B’Yachad Religious School will remain closed through at least May 3. E-learning sessions are tentatively scheduled to begin Wednesday, April 1, and run through Sunday, May 3.
Sisterhood’s March Soup Sale has been cancelled.
The CBI office is currently closed until Tuesday, April 7. Messages are being picked up daily. Call 219-922-0101.

Sinai Temple - Michigan City:
Until further notice, Sinai Temple has suspended all in-person services and activities, previously announced to take place at the temple or the Public Library. This includes all Shabbat services, community Seder on April 8, film on April 4th, pot-luck dinners, and the Jewish Film Festival at the library. We are working on options for the near future, and hope to very soon use FaceTime so you can watch the weekly Shabbat service on the Sinai Temple Facebook page.

Temple Beth-El - Munster:
As of now the Temple Office will be open (10am–3pm); we will keep you posted if changes are made. Per guidelines from national, state and local authorities we are limiting social gatherings as a precaution. For that reason, we will not have face to face meetings unless essential and turn to platforms that will provide us with technological means to interact.

Masa B’Yachad Religious School will remain closed through at least May 3.
Friday night worship for Shabbat will be held online at 7:30pm via the Temple Beth-El Facebook page.
Saturday mornings, Rabbi Zukrow will host Torah study via Zoom at 10am. Please email RabbiLen@zukrow.com for the Zoom links and passwords.
Rabbi Gesa Ederberg (program scheduled for Thursday, March 26) is not able to fly out of Germany at this time. Stay tuned for future information.
Sisterhood Seder (April 5) and Congregational Seder (April 9) have both been cancelled. We are offering the seder items for sale. Please contact the office for a list with price.

Temple Israel - Miller:

Jerry Rothenberg's birthday party (originally scheduled for March 21) has been postponed until further notice.
The Interfaith Peace & Justice Seder scheduled for April 19 has been cancelled.

Temple Israel - Valparaiso:
Until further notice all services and activities are cancelled at Temple Israel. That includes Friday night services, Saturday Torah Study, Sunday school, Rabbi Feferman’s office hours, and our Passover Seder on April 11.