This is an important message from the Ohio Jewish Communities regarding COVID-19. Please know that we will bring you information that is relevant and timely.
As we prepare for a very different Passover, stay tuned for observance information & resources in our Friday Virtual Community email.
Marcy L. Paul PhD
JCRC Director
Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton
Cathy Gardner
CEO
Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton
March 31, 2020
Since the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic we have been in constant contact with state and federal officials regarding our communities’ needs, issues, priorities, and questions.
They have been incredibly responsive. Now, government officials are asking something of us. Emergency management leadership from the Ohio Department of Public Safety have reached out to us.
They are requesting that our community in Ohio, as well as from out-of-state, strictly follow travel, social distancing, and self-quarantine guidelines. This includes any travel that would be occurring around the Pesach (Passover) holiday.
The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) strictly recommend that:
- All nonessential travel, including for holidays, be avoided.
- Should anyone travel from a highly contaminated area, such as Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York/New Jersey/Connecticut, Washington, DC, Washington state, and elsewhere, they must immediately and completely self-isolate and quarantine for a full 14 days.
- Practically, this means no contact with anyone in the home they are in, and no trips outside even to purchase or pick up food.
For more information on ODH recommendations, visit Coronavirus.ohio.gov or call 1 833-4-ASK-ODH.
We are aware of many rabbinical groups and other Jewish community leadership locally, nationally, in Israel, and across the world who have urged – and even ordered – no one host anyone else, even family members, and even those who would otherwise spend the holiday alone – for Passover this year.
In light of the major and immediate public health threat to Ohio residents from travelers arriving from out-of-state as well as additional community needs should there be such a surge, Ohio Jewish Communities, its members, and partners urge everyone to strictly abide by these requirements.
The Passover story is one where the choices by individuals affect the fate of nations.
Lives depend on the right choices here. Our entire state is looking to our community to step up and show our leadership here.
Please share this widely, and please reach out with any questions.
Howie Beigelman
Executive Director
howieb@ohiojc.org
Ohio Jewish Communities is the statewide government advocacy, public affairs, and community relations voice of Ohio’s eight Jewish federations and their network of 150 nonprofit service agencies.
