Rabbi at Orthodox synagogue in Miami-Dade tests positive for COVID-19

The rabbi of one of the largest Orthodox synagogues in Miami-Dade County, Shul of Bal Harbour, has tested presumptive positive for COVID-19, according to a statement Sunday morning from Bal Harbour Mayor Gabriel Groisman.

Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar, the founder and spiritual leader of the synagogue on Collins Ave. in Surfside, told Groisman late Saturday night that he was “exhibiting mild symptoms and is self-isolating.”

Groisman said. “We urge the greater Bal Harbour community to continue to act responsibly and with great care during these trying times.”

The synagogue has been closed.

“After consultation with the University Of Miami, State and Federal authorities, and the Shul’s medical team, all events, minyanim and classes will be suspended until further notice,” Lipskar wrote to the community.

Lipskar, who is in his 70s, said he was diagnosed at the University of Miami and that his only symptom is fever.

“Thank GD the doctors are extremely optimistic and positive that this will pass,” he wrote. “I will remain in self-quarantine until I am completely clear and well.”

The entire building was scheduled to be disinfected Sunday night, Lipskar said.

In his statement, Groisman said Lipskar “is not only the rabbi of our synagogue, but he is a Bal Harbour resident, a pillar of our community, a spiritual leader to many, the chaplain of our police department, a neighbor and a close friend.”

Lipskar said in 2016, when the synagogue announced it was doubling its size with a $20 million expansion, that the shul had about 700 family memberships representing about 3,000 people.

“If you have been in ‘close contact’ with Rabbi Lipskar in the past 14 days, please self-isolate in your homes with your nuclear family only, for a period of 14 days,” Groisman said. He added that Bal Harbour residents might soon be contacted by state and federal health officials “to direct those who may have been in close contact with the Rabbi to seek medical attention and testing.”

Helen Aguirre Ferré, a spokeswoman for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, said state officials can’t publicly confirm whether an individual has tested presumptive positive.

It was not immediately clear how Lipskar might have contracted the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19.

A New York man who tested positive spent time in Bal Harbour during the weekend of Feb. 15, according to state officials, and left a week before exhibiting symptoms.

Surfside, where Lipskar’s synagogue is located, neighbors Bal Harbour. Both communities are north of Miami Beach.

The town of Surfside said in a notice to residents Sunday that Town Hall and all town facilities will be closed until further notice, and that all “non-essential staff” have been told to work from home.

“If you have not been in ‘close contact’ with Rabbi Lipskar or someone with COVID-19 in the past 14 days, but have had close interactions with individuals who may have, you should self-monitor for the next 14 days,” the town’s notice said.

The rabbi attended several large gatherings at the synagogue last week for the Jewish holiday of Purim. Between two events on Monday and Tuesday, “hundreds” of people were there, Groisman said.

This story was originally published March 15, 2020 at 10:23 AM.