2022-2023 Update
Updated November 9, 2022
We are excited to be planning for an in-person L'Taken season for 2022-2023! The health and safety of our participants has always been and will remain our top priority as we work to open L'Taken safely.
As we consider every aspect of our program and operation, we have created the following FAQs to answer some of the questions you may have.
We will continue to update this information as it becomes applicable as we work to welcome everyone back to Washington, D.C. this winter. COVID protocols and guidance are fluid and responsive to the current conditions. We will communicate any significant changes to protocol to all participants in our program. Our plan is aimed at keeping everyone safe, and created based on CDC guidelines and COVID case numbers and patterns from previous winters.
This information is based on what we know today. We are deeply committed to open, ongoing, and honest communication with our congregations and event attendees.
OVERVIEW OF COVID POLICY AT L'TAKEN SEMINARS
- All attendees must be fully vaccinated.
- We will be masking at all times when indoors, and ask that masks be worn on the way to DC if traveling on public transportation
- All attendees must take a Rapid Antigen test the day of their departure for L'Taken
See below for a more in-depth, comprehensive explanation of all of our policies.
Will COVID-19 vaccine be required to attend?
Yes, we will require vaccines to attend L'Taken. All participants, chaperones, and visitors at L'Taken must be up to date for their age-eligibility, according to CDC guidelines. All event staff will also be required to be fully vaccinated. Please note, this is the policy for the L'Taken Social Justice Seminars but does not define policies for future URJ programs.
Each conference attendee will be asked to show proof of vaccination to their group coordinatorwho will share this with RAC staff.
You can read our full vaccination policy.
What level of testing will happen at L'Taken?
Everyone attending L'Taken must provide and self-administer a Rapid Antigen COVID-19 test before departure to L'Taken. They must show proof of a negative test to their group/congregation trip coordinator. If you are negative, you may travel to Washington, DC.
Congregations/groups must report to the RAC that all members of their delegation have tested negative before arrival. More details about the reporting process will be shared close to your seminar date
We will not be conducting testing upon arrival or throughout the weekend unless a participant is exhibiting symptoms.
Will masking be required at L'Taken?
We will be masking indoors at all times throughout the L'Taken seminar. Participants may unmask when eating and drinking, and when in their hotel rooms. Masks must be high-filtration; either KN95 or KN94. We recommend that students pack several masks for use throughout the weekend.
We also ask that our delegations wear masks on their travels to L'Taken, should you be on any form of public transportation where distancing may not be possible.
We also strongly encourage participants to follow this guidance for off-site trips, including museums and stores. Whenever weather permits, we encourage all L'Taken attendees to eat outside when offsite to prevent exposure in uncontrolled environments.
Why are we masking at L'Taken?
We recognize that this may be different from what members of our community are familiar with in their day-to-day lives, and many schools and other organizations are no longer requiring masking. However, L'Taken is a different environment, with attendees coming from communities across the country, outside of the communities you are usually in close contact with.
To ensure L'Taken remains accessible to all members of our community, this decision was also made in the interest of protecting members of our staff and community who are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 infection.
We also need to consider the needs of staffing 5 L'Taken seminars, that are sometimes on back-to-back weekends. Members of our staff must be available to work for multiple L'Taken weekends, so it is necessary to safeguard their health and safety to ensure our operational effectiveness.
Is there increased ventilation at L'Taken?
Our hotel partners have worked hard to increase their ventilation over the last few years and have made significant renovations to increase airflow in and out of the building.
We will also encourage outdoor participation wherever possible, weather permitting.
What will COVID protocols on off-site trips look like?
Just like when we are inside at our seminar hotels, we expect that all attendees will be masking while indoors while offsite. Masks must be high-filtration; either KN95 or KN94. We recommend that students pack several masks for use throughout the weekend
Whenever weather permits, we encourage all L'Taken attendees to eat outside when offsite to prevent exposure in uncontrolled environments.
Can teens from my congregation room with teens from another congregation?
To minimize the potential spread of COVID throughout the seminar, congregations may only combine their housing arrangements if they are traveling to DC together. Otherwise, we will evaluate on a case-by- case basis upon request
What can I expect from the L'Taken program? What might look different about the L'Taken program?
The RAC works tirelessly to create a fun, meaningful, well-organized and impactful program with health and safety always our top priority (you've seen us out there in our traffic vests!). Below is an overview of our current planning of the L'Taken program:
- Health and Safety
- Testing before departure to L'Taken
- Participants fully masked when indoors
- Informing participants of and encouraging participants to follow best practices to mitigate the spread of COVID-19
- Programs
- We are planning to keep the L'Taken schedule largely the same
- Programs will run in break-out rooms, fully masked
- Off-sites
- We ask that all attendees continue to mask while indoors, even when not at our seminar hotels
- The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum no longer tickets for the amount of people in a L'Taken seminar, so we will not be going as a whole group. Instead, Saturday and Sunday's off-sites will both include trips to the National Mall/Smithsonian museums
- We anticipate eating in Georgetown and Pentagon Row, although we are encouraging everyone to eat outside, weather permitting
- Lobby Day
- As in the past, we will be requesting in person meetings with congressional offices. If your congressional office is only doing virtual meetings, we will be requesting a Zoom lobby visit for the time we would normally schedule the visit. We will work with you to find a location to do this visit.
The RAC will continue to determine possible programmatic changes, adjustments and modifications as a result of the changing dynamics of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including responding to revised CDC guidance and local restrictions.
What happens if a family registers and then decides to cancel because they are no longer comfortable sending their student?
We encourage all groups to offer their families the opportunity to purchase trip insurance in order to protect their investment. The URJ's preferred vendor is TravMark (learn more here). In the event that L'Taken is running but a family chooses to cancel, our normal cancellation policies will apply.
What happens if L'Taken is running but our congregation/delegation decides we no longer feel comfortable bringing our students?
We understand these are uncertain times. The health and safety of our L'Taken participants is our top priority. We are committed to being responsive to ever-evolving standards and protocols and will be as transparent as possible as our plans continue to take shape. In the event that L'Taken is running but a delegation chooses to cancel due to COVID concerns, our normal cancellation policies will apply. We are here to support each congregation/delegation as they make the best decisions for their group, and we are always available to discuss the options available.
We are making every attempt to be as flexible as possible so you, our L'Taken congregations/delegations, can do informed planning. Please reach out with any questions.
All cancellations must be sent via email to LTaken@rac.org. Cancellations will be honored by the date and time the email is received.
What happens if a member of our delegation tests positive during the seminar?
Should anyone on a L'Taken Seminar weekend exhibit symptoms and require a COVID test, we will administer a rapid COVID test. If the test shows a positive result, we will assume that person is positive.
Student: Should a participant test positive for COVID-19, they will immediately enter isolation. The RAC staff in coordination with the delegation chaperone will communicate with the parent/guardian of a participant who is required to enter quarantine for a positive COVID-19 test. A parent, guardian, or other adult (with parent permission) will join the participant at the L'Taken hotel. All additional costs including but not limited to hotel and travel are the responsibility of the parent/guardian. The RAC staff is available for logistical assistance and guidance.
- Before attending L'Taken, all families must submit a plan for a parent/guardian or trusted adult to pick up their child with a positive test result in the unlikely event that they test positive for COVID-19.
Chaperone: As usual, we require each delegation to bring at least one chaperone for every 9 students. The role of the chaperones at L'Taken this year will be the same as it always is: overseeing the well-being and safety of your participants and directly supervising them.
Because of the uncertainties COVID-19 creates, you might consider bringing an additional chaperone for your group. As you know, our weekends are currently fully booked but please email ltaken@rac.org to request an additional spot for an additional chaperone. We will do our best to accommodate these requests. If you wish to bring an additional chaperone to respond to the elevated nature of COVID-19, but cost is a barrier for doing so, please also reach out to ltaken@rac.org and we will make every effort to accommodate you.
Should a chaperone test positive for COVID-19 , they will immediately enter quarantine. A personal friend/family member may come to assist with quarantine. All additional costs including but not limited to hotel and travel are the responsibility of the adult chaperone. While the RAC staff is available for logistical assistance and guidance.
RAC staff will be available to help coordinate additional coverage for the teens in your delegation. This will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
What happens if a member of our delegation tests positive in the days just before the seminar?
No refunds will be given 7 or fewer days prior to event date with exception of a documented medical emergency in which case a 50% refund will be granted.
We recommend that anyone planning to attend L'Taken avoid large crowds and high-risk environments whenever possible in the days leading up to your departure. You may also consider masking and testing with more frequency to minimize risk of exposure.
We recommend that families purchase travel insurance to protect their investment, should the family need to cancel their child's participation in the program. The URJ's preferred vendor is TravMark (learn more here).
** COVID protocols and guidance are fluid and responsive to the current conditions. We will communicate any significant changes to protocol to all participants in our program. **
**We will continue to update this information as it becomes applicable as we work to welcome everyone back to Washington, D.C. this winter. COVID protocols and guidance are fluid and responsive to the current conditions. We will communicate any significant changes to protocol to all participants in our program. **
** Our plan is aimed at keeping everyone safe and created based on CDC guidelines and COVID case numbers and patterns from previous winters. **
**This information is based on what we know today. We are deeply committed to open, ongoing, and honest communication with our congregations and event attendees. **