US to make changes after PM’s statement

UNITED SYNAGOGUE chief executive Steven Wilson has said it will need to make “a number of changes” following the new restrictions announced by the Prime Minister on Tuesday, stressing: “We all must play our part to help reduce the spread of the virus.”

Dr Wilson was pleased that places of worship can remain open and that “Yom Kippur services can go ahead as planned in our synagogues. Our lay leaders, together with our rabbinic and staff teams, have worked tirelessly over the last few months to prepare for the Yamim Noraim and we thank them once again for their dedication.”

Butthefurtherreductiononnumbers at weddings to 15 “will make a difficult situation even more difficult. Many couples have already postponed their weddingonceinthehopetheywouldbeable to get married in the winter.”

He added that “our caterers and restaurateurs too have had a very challengingtimeoverthesummerandweknow the Prime Minister’s announcement will affect the livelihoods of the hundreds of people KLBD licensees employ. We empathise with our licensees in these extraordinarily difficult times.”

While the limit of 30 mourners at funerals was unchanged, “it is extremely disappointing that stone-settings — an integral part of the Jewish funeral process — are being restricted to six people”, Dr Wilson noted. “We will be engaging with government about this.”

Elsewhere, Sandra Husbands, Hackney’s director of public health, said it had written to “one of the area’s most popular wedding venues”, the Yesodey Hatorah Senior Girls’ School, to remind it to keep guests within permitted limits. A school spokesman said it “conforms to all relevant regulations. Those who hire the hall are regularly reminded that they must abide by the regulations at all times.”