
Visit Our Synagogue in Leicester
Welcome
The Rabbi
History of the Community
Beginnings
Serving the Local Hebrew Community
COVID-19
COVID-19 Safety Procedures and reopening our Shul for Shabbat
You cannot attend services without pre-booking.
- Shabbat Service will start at 10:00 a.m. and finish by 11:30 a.m.
- We respectfully ask that members arrive between 9:45 a.m. and 10:15 a.m, to ensure a prompt start. If ladies wish to come in later, we ask them to arrive between 10:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Please keep your outer coats with you and place them on the empty seat next to you.
- We will be using the new entrance on Highfield Street to access the building. The original entrance, now designated as the Ceremonial Door, will not be in use. Our caretaker, Richard Burbage will be on the door and will have a list of attendees.
- On entry, you will be asked to sanitise your hands using the station next to the front door and it is mandatory to wear a face-covering whilst in the building. Masks will be available at the door.
- Men will enter the Shul via the corridor to the right of the new entrance. This leads to the old foyer/vestibule.
- Ladies will use the staircase in the new foyer or Shabbat lift to reach the first floor. There is a new entrance to the Ladies Gallery at the right-hand corner of the upper foyer.
- Toilet facilities are available on each floor. There are two toilets on the ground floor and one on the first floor and basement/Mikva levels. All toilets are unisex. Please familiarise yourselves with their positions and use the one nearest to you. After using the toilets, please wipe down surfaces, including sinks and taps that you have touched, with the wipes provided.
- All surfaces will have been cleaned thoroughly before the services. A hand sanitising station will be placed in both the men’s’ and ladies’ sections. Please sanitise your hands after touching any surfaces.
- Strict social distancing at 2 metres will be in place with many of the pews not in use. Please only use the designated pews. This may mean you cannot sit in your normal seat. If you wish to sit with a family member who must be in your “family bubble”, please indicate this to Pauline when you prebook your attendance. The synagogue will be set out to accommodate these wishes. Seats not in use will be clearly marked and the cushions removed.
- Clean prayer books will be available at each entrance. Please take a book and keep it at your seat. Do not return books at the end of the service. The books will be left for 72 hours before being returned to the clean area and will not be used again until the following week to ensure their surfaces are clean.
- There will be changes to the format and content of the service as advised by the Chief Rabbi, including:
- The Rabbi will conduct the service from in front of the Ark to give more space when Torah Reading.
- The Rabbi will open the Ark and take Hagbah and Gelilah after the Torah Reading.
- If you are willing to be called up and do receive an Aliya, social distancing will be in place. We will explain how this will work at the Torah Reading time.
- There will be no singing.
- There will be no Kiddush at Shul.