PASCACK VALLEY AREA, N.J.—On the occasion of the pandemic entering its second year, we have this letter from the Upper Pascack Valley Clergy Council—the leaders of various faith communities in the Pascack Valley—to the public. It is signed by the group’s chairman, Woodcliff Lake’s Christ Lutheran Church Pastor Marc A. Stutzel, and all members:
When the pandemic first arrived in our area, we did not expect to be dealing with its impact a year later. Many of our places of worship chose to stop meeting indoors as a way to curb the spread of coronavirus. Even though we did not know how the virus spread from person-to-person, we decided to do all we can to keep each other safe.
We have, collectively, mourned the death of many, and we shed many tears over video calls because we could not see our loved ones safely. Every nurse, doctor, EMT, law enforcement officer, firefighter, medical assistants, and countless others moved heaven and earth to care for those in need. We are grateful for their witness and their commitment to the greater good.
Inspired by the generosity and faithfulness of every essential worker, retail employee, and teacher, who risked their lives to serve the wider community, we give thanks. This year has reminded us not to take anyone for granted. We need each other to live our lives to the fullest.
Over the last year, science and medicine gave us tools to strengthen how we take care of each other. We learned the virus spreads easily indoors through talking, coughing, and sneezing. You responded by making and wearing face masks which is a simple way to protect each other.
You also learned how to practice physical distancing, learning how to meet your friends outdoors or over online tools like Zoom. The virus does not care about our social status, wealth, or religious piety. The virus spreads when two or three are gathered close to one another for an extended period. That has made it difficult for us to fulfill our very human need to see other people. We have all needed to make heartbreaking choices of delaying weddings, funerals, parties, gatherings, worship, and the seeing of family as a way to keep each other safe.
The recent announcement of a third vaccine effectively protecting us against hospitalizations and death has filled us with an incredible amount of hope. We see, for maybe the first time, a way out of this exhausting period of isolation. These vaccines are miracles. They’ll help us do what we all want to do: gather safely together to worship and celebrate our lives with each other.
We are also mindful that every faith community is different, and we all meet in different kinds of spaces. Not every building can be easily ventilated, nor is every community able to put in place procedures minimizing the risk when we meet together. What works in one context will not necessarily work in another. We all share the freedom of religion, which allows us to do what is faithful, safe, and suitable for our communities. We are committed to keeping each other safe, especially the most vulnerable among us, such as the immunocompromised and those who cannot yet receive a vaccine (such as children).
Some of our faith communities can meet in our buildings with reduced capacities. In contrast, Others will continue to worship online and over the phone. We are not in competition with one another; instead, we are faithful in the ways that make sense for us.
As people of faith, we are called to be for each other. That requires our commitment to actions that protect the vulnerable and promote our caring for one another. Each of us can embody hope by not letting our present be the limit of what’s possible. Therefore, we commend and will take part in the following:
Get vaccinated. Vaccines are safe and effective ways to protect from the worse effects of the virus. As faith leaders, we often speak the most during worship and sit with people during a crisis; we are committed to be vaccinated to protect those entrusted to our care.
Help others get vaccinated. A decentralized health system means it takes work to receive a vaccine. Small groups of volunteers in our communities have been working hard to get those with limited internet appointments. We commend the work of local civic leaders who are making access to vaccines easier. The risk from the virus can only be minimized once we are all vaccinated.
Wear a face mask and practice social distancing. Until science shows that vaccines limit the transmission of the virus and the people in our community are vaccinated, we will embrace practices that protect one another. When we can gather indoors, we will do so safely. Our respective boards, directors, elders, and other leaders in our faith communities will choose when it is suitable for us to meet in person. When we do, we’ll use best practices to protect every neighbor.
Serve the community. The economic impacts of the virus are still felt in our neighbors. We are committed to strengthening food pantries and other social services in our area.
Stay connected. As faith leaders, leading worship in reduced settings or while speaking to a camera is not fun. We long to gather in-person with all of you. We pledge to keep staying rooted in our faith and invite you to do the same.
As we live through the first anniversary of the pandemic, let us commit ourselves not to be only for ourselves but to be for each other. May God bless you, heal you, and keep us all safe.
Signed,
- Rabbi David Bockman, Temple Beth Sholom in Park Ridge;
- Cantor Emeritus Dr. Mark Biddelman, Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley in Woodcliff Lake;
- Rabbi Gerald Friedman, Emeritus, Temple Beth Sholom in Park Ridge;
- Senior Pastor Sam Goertz, Montvale Free Evangelical Church in Montvale;
- Pastor Julie Lee, United Methodist Church in Hillsdale;
- Rabbi Loren Monosov, Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley in Woodcliff Lake;
- Rabbi Debra Orenstein, Congregation B’nai Israel in Emerson
- The Rev. Anthony Puca Jr., Grace Episcopal Church in Westwood and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Hillsdale;
- Cantor Alan Sokoloff, Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley in Woodcliff Lake;
- Rev. Marc A. Stutzel, Christ Lutheran Church in Woodcliff Lake;
- Rev. Marc Suriano, First Congregational Church in Park Ridge;
- Esra Tozan, interfaith event coordinator at Peace Islands Institute in Hasbrock Heights; and
- The Rev. Jill Williams, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Montvale