THE DAVID & RUTH GREEN
LUBAVITCH JEWISH CENTER OF ALASKA
CONGREGATION SHOMREI OHR- CHABAD
Dear Friends,
We are happy to share with you that after a backlog of over 3 months, the UV-C Lamps have finally arrived and were installed in our building. The UV-C Lamps were the last item of a comprehensive mitigation plan which was designed in collaboration with Providence Hospital engineers and our infectious disease consultant, Dr. Tessa Gardner, to protect our community, staff and students and mitigate the risk from COVID-19 virus. These building improvements will help mitigate the current risk from viruses, bacteria and germs and it will also provide an extra-long-term safety layer to the overall health of our community, staff and students well into the future.
Our COVID 19 building upgrades include the following improvements:
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Upgrade to our HVAC system to increase inflow of outside air by installing a new exhaust fan to deplete the inside air outside of the building as well as a static pressure controller to relieve pressure in the building and to allow ongoing circulation of outside airflow in the building;
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The installation of a MERV-13 air filter to help mitigate risk from viruses, bacteria, and germs;
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UV-C lamps help to mitigate risk from bacteria, viruses, and germs that circulate in our HVAC system.
These improvements are especially important as we prepare for the cold winter months when we will be spending more time indoors and the above building upgrades will protect us from COVID. According to our experts, the above building improvements will also help mitigate the “Cold & Flu Season” that we deal with every year during the winter months. At this point, you will be very glad to know that our building is one of the safest buildings in Anchorage, with similar HVAC technology that Providence Hospital has in place!
These building improvements have cost more than $35,000 so far! In addition, we incur huge expenses for our COVID mitigation plan which includes the acquisition of PPE and other necessary supplies. Also, we incur large costs for additional staff hours spent on implementation of the mitigation plan, hiring extra on call substitute staff, hiring of an additional person to focus on ongoing sanitizing and disinfecting the school, toys, surfaces, etc.
We are launching the ‘COVID-19 Mitigation Fundraiser’ and we are turning to you, our dear friends, in the hope that you can help us raise $50,000 needed to fund the above building improvements and the various mitigation expenses.
We would like to thank Eva Gardner & Dan Beutel, Becca & Evan Patterson, Sarah & AJ Schirack, Larry Amskold, and Jocelyn Fenton for coming forward and generously donating and helping kick off this fundraiser. We invite you all to join them in helping us reach our fundraising goal to support our crucial building mitigation plan.
We would like to once again express our gratitude and appreciation to you for your unwavering support of the Alaska Jewish Campus during these challenging times. The health and safety of our community, staff and students continue to be our highest priority as we navigate the waters of the “new normal.”
Your friendship and support are the foundation of our community. It is only with your commitment that we can continue our goal of making Judaism accessible to all Alaskans, regardless of their background or affiliation.
Rabbi Yosef Greenberg
Rabbi Levi Glitsenstein