38 | OCTOBER 8 • 2020 

I

n the tumultuous year that 
is 5781, celebrating the High 
Holidays has been anything 
but a normal experience for the 
Jewish community.
In response, the Orthodox 
Union has released a document 
spelling out guidelines and 
recommendations for how Jews 
can spend their Simchat Torah 
in light of the COVID-19 pan-
demic, including strict social 
distancing and no dancing.
The Orthodox Union (OU) 
has served as an umbrella 
organization for American 
Orthodox Jewry since 1898, 
with over 400 congregations in 

its synagogue network.
Rabbi Adir Posy, Director of 
Synagogue and Community 
Services for OU, helped craft 
the document. He believes cele-
brations can be just as fulfilling 
as other years, in different ways.
“What we’
re trying to guide 
people with is striking a balance 
with keeping as much normalcy 
as possible and being able to 
connect to the traditions we’
ve 
done every year, with the allow-
ance for making sure we are 
extremely vigilant about safety 
protocols,
” Posy told the JN.
“We must plan and prepare 
for Simchat Torah, being espe-

cially mindful of the recent rise 
in positive tests in many com-
munities,
” the document reads. 
“This uptick is a source of gen-
uine concern, and we must be 
committed to make every effort 
to reverse it by proceeding with 
appropriate caution.
”
OU worked with medical 
experts and public health offi-
cials to see if environments for 
celebration could be created in 
a safe way.
“In most cases, we found 
out the answer was yes,
” Posy 
said. “There are ways to create 
worship indoors or outdoors in 
ways that are safe.
”
The OU advises Jews not to 
dance during Simchat Torah 
(Oct. 10-11).
“This special day is typically 
celebrated by spirited dancing 
with the Torah, which is some-
thing that seems impossible to 
replicate this year while main-
taining proper safeguards,
” the 
document reads. “Even without 

holding hands, and even out-
doors, when dancing in circles 
we are continuously walking 
into the clouds of droplets gen-
erated by the vigorous singing 
and dancing of others. Sadly, 
there seems to be no way in 
which this can be safely accom-
plished … These are certainly 
meaningful disappointments.
”
While there’
s hope that next 
year’
s High Holidays will see a 
return to normalcy, Posy said 
the restrictions have led to “an 
explosion of innovation.
” 
“One of the recommenda-
tions we made as we celebrate 
the Torah is to celebrate the 
ways in which the Torah or 
connecting to studying Torah 
has enhanced people’
s lives. So I 
can imagine that type of sharing 
is a very meaningful thing that 
can exist in really any context, 
and is one of the examples of 
innovative ideas I think will be 
able to stand the test of time.
” 

continued from page 37

due to obstructive sleep apnea 
or narcolepsy.

LONGSTANDING FATIGUE
He also said there’
s increasing 
evidence that there’
s a post-
COVID syndrome with symp-
toms that include fatigue and 
low energy but that the science 
to trace that is developing. In 
general though, symptoms of 
CFS have to be longstanding 
(six months or more) and cause 
functional impairment. Often, 
those with ME/CFS are pre-
scribed anti-depressants though 
those medications often don’
t 
solve the entire problem, Young 
said.
One of Young’
s longtime 
patients, Jane (not her real 
name), said she was referred to 
Young about 20 years ago after 
working with a social worker 
for severe anxiety and depres-
sion. Jane had noticed difficulty 

in concentration and not being 
able to filter out noise in large 
crowds. She said she was also 
having a very hard time waking 
in the morning and finding 
energy to tackle the day, consid-
ering she was helping her father 
with dementia get his affairs in 
order.
The woman who in the past 
has volunteered with several 
Jewish organizations, said she 
learned she had a diagnosis of 
ADHD, with moderate symp-
toms in addition to chronic 
fatigue syndrome.
“I was overwhelmed, and my 

energy level came in spurts,
” 
she said. “I felt like I was having 
a breakdown.
”
Jane was prescribed Zoloft 
for her depression and Adderall 
XR, which is a common pre-
scription for ADHD. She has 
found great help with the med-
ications in terms of focusing, 
recall and managing her emo-
tions.
“Family members close to me 
noticed the stabilizing effect,
” 
she said. “It was explained to 
me that it was like putting a 
shield on your emotions” so 
that negative emotions don’
t 

become overwhelming.
“The medication filters and 
focuses you. I’
ve always taken 
[the Adderall] when I’
m work-
ing,
” she said.
Although she’
s found living 
in the pandemic world chal-
lenging, Jane finds joy in sing-
ing and has been taking online 
programming and classes 
through the Jewish Federation’
s 
JLearn program.
“They have been wonderful 
in getting you through and 
feeling productive,
” she said. 
She encourages those who feel 
overwhelmed with fatigue and 
negative emotions to ask for 
help until all symptoms are 
under control.
“Try not to tough it out your-
self,
” she said. “Once I got stable 
on the antidepressants and 
my mood, I realized there was 
still a problem” with focus and 
fatigue. 

Health

“Oft
 en patients with ME/CFS 
feel abandoned, diminished
or marginalized.”

— DR. JOEL L. YOUNG

Orthodox Union 
Issues Guidelines for 
Simchat Torah

Social distancing, no dancing this year.

DANNY SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

