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Lake Placid’s Rosh Hashanah services in-person and on Zoom

Rabbi Alec Friedmann presides over a memorial service for Jewish synagogue shootings on Nov. 11, 2018, at the Lake Placid Synagogue. (Enterprise photo — Griffin Kelly)

LAKE PLACID — The Lake Placid Synagogue will observe Rosh Hashanah this year with in-person services that will stream live on Zoom for those who wish to attend from home.

The synagogue has followed the flux of COVID-19 over the last year, switching to online services and meetings in accordance with state guidelines. To supplement these restrictions, Rabbi Friedmann offered walk-in Zoom meetings each Monday during the summer, sometimes seeing 30 people in one night. While Friedmann acknowledges attendance in the Synagogue has dwindled some, the Zoom meetings and services allowed the rabbi and the synagogue community to stay close in safety.

“We are doing pretty well with Zoom,” Friedmann said. “It’s an interesting service and certainly does work.”

The synagogue invested in camera and microphone equipment specifically for the High Holy Days’ live Zoom stream and any online services that will follow. Many members of the synagogue already informed the rabbi they will attend Rosh Hashanah services from home. For those who wish to attend the services in person, proof of vaccination is required upon entry and masks are mandatory throughout the service. This means children who are ineligible for the vaccine cannot attend.

“We would love to welcome everybody,” Friedmann said. “Unfortunately we are not able to do so, no matter how much we’d like to.”

The synagogue’s first concern is the health of its members and the public. However, the rabbi welcomes any member of the community to join the Zoom stream next week.

Rosh Hashanah services will start at 7:30 p.m. Monday, 10 a.m. Tuesday, and 10 a.m. Wednesday. The service schedule is available online at https://lakeplacidsynagogue.org/uploads/3/5/2/3/35236007/0921lpsynnews.pdf.

Beginning in October, regular Sabbat services will resume exclusively on Zoom each first and third Friday of the month.

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