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Hanukkah Lighting on Boathouse Row

The Mayor's Office of Public Engagement hosted their Hanukkah lighting on Zoom and shared it via Facebook Live.

Sermon from Rabbi Olitzky - Ivri: Traditional Service - Rosh Hashanah Day 1

Rosh Hashanah Virtual Sermon

Conservative Judaism in Northampton

Noah Barondes interrupted his October bar mitzvah ceremony to ask, to no one in particular, “Where are they going?” This ‘they’ would be the twenty some masked and socially distanced bar mitzvah attendees, caught in the act of an awkward, would-be surreptitious shuffle to the sunlight from the cold shaded tent they were originally sitting in. This disturbance in the ceremony, although relatively humorous, is just one of the many disruptions of Northampton’s Congregation B’nai Israel’s services induced by the pandemic. Unable to meet in person due to the risk of COVID-19 transmission, the synagogue has been forced to move its services online for streaming. This proved an immediate issue, as Conservative Jews practice Shabbat by not using electronic media (including taking pictures or being photographed, as streaming requires). This creates a whole host of restrictions most other religious groups did not have to consider when transitioning to an online service format. In addition to this, services at Congregation at B’nai Israel feature a strong focus on cooperative, communal prayer, and leading that prayer over the Internet is much more difficult than in-person. Normally, attendees would sing all together, creating lots of energy, but being on Zoom or a live-streamed service makes that kind of connection impossible. Services can feel inauthentic as religious experiences and more like chores, since many people are doing their jobs over Zoom, sitting in the same place in their home and at the same computer they work from. And that’s not even to mention the ways Zoom shortens people’s attention spans, making it far more difficult to sit down and concentrate on prayer. To adapt to these challenges created by the pandemic, Congregation B’nai Israel and its leaders have looked to the larger Jewish community and authority to guide their decisions on how to continue practicing their religion and reaching all members of their community at a time when they cannot be together. While it was unconventional and potentially against Jewish law to move services online, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the larger organization the Congregation is part of, was able to find solid rationale for bending those restrictions in order to keep people connected to their Jewish communities. For their part, Congregation B’nai Israel has made some adjustments to their services in order to make them more Zoom-friendly. For one thing, they have made services shorter, in order to combat that reduced attention span of service attendees. Their Shabbat morning services have shifted to become more focused on conversation and study of different texts, with a few prayers in the beginning and end of the service. The attendees seem to really enjoy this, but it’s unclear whether the new format will continue once the pandemic is over. Congregation B’nai Israel also monitors and responds to the pandemic with their personal COVID-19 task force, which includes a few infectious disease experts as well as the synagogue president. They work together to come up with recommendations on what will be safe for the community to do as far as in-person gathering, and whatever they say is carried out. At the moment, they have considered it safe to provide a few, heavily limited opportunities for in-person worship, one of which was Noah Barondes’s bar mitzvah. These gatherings are restricted to a specific size, and social distancing measures and masks are enforced at all times. In addition to these structural adaptations to the pandemic, Rabbi Justin David adapted the contents of his service too. He infused Barondes’s bar mitzvah with themes of hope and resilience, referencing the various tragedies of humanity in the Hebrew Bible and reminding the congregants that nevertheless, humanity persevered. This communal acknowledgement of suffering combined with the assurance that the community will survive is a reminder that religion is more than its rituals and practice: it’s a source of collective, spiritual strength in times of adversity. In a way, CBI’s services themselves act as a natural adaptation to the pandemic by providing a response to coronavirus anxieties.

Prizmah Knowledge Center Resources on Finances Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

Prizmah is the network for Jewish day schools across North America. This is a collection of Prizmah's Knowledge Center resources that address general finances, financial aid, and budgeting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prizmah Knowledge Center Resources on Mental Health & Emotional Support

Prizmah is the network for Jewish day schools across North America. This is a collection of Prizmah's Knowledge Center resources that address mental health and emotional support for families and their children.

Prizmah Blog Posts on Mental Health & Emotional Support

Prizmah is the network for Jewish day schools across North America. This is a collection of blog posts that talk about mental health and emotional support.

Prizmah Blog Posts on Celebrating Holidays during Covid-19

Prizmah is the network for Jewish day schools across North America. This is a collection of blog posts that talk about celebrating the holidays amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prizmah Knowledge Center Resources to Celebrate Holidays during Covid-19

Prizmah is the network for Jewish day schools across North America. This is a collection of Prizmah's Knowledge Center resources that help families celebrate holidays amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

450+ Rabbis Sign NYJA Statement and Press Conference Video

In this virtual press conference held by the New York Jewish Agenda, more than 450 rabbis, cantors, and other religious leaders joined together to speak out in favor of life-saving, geography-based COVID-19 protective measures. The event also featured Jacob Kornbluh, a Jewish journalist who was assaulted during the October 7th protest and riots in Boro Park.

SV News Coverage of the Boro Park Protests

These tweets from @SVNewAlerts cover the New York City police dispersing the crowds gathered to celebrate the Sukkot holiday and the later protests of Governor Andrew Cuomo's lockdown of synagogues. The lockdown comes as COVID-19 spikes in nine New York City communities.

High Holidays on Zoom, including Zoom Choir

Rabbi Sunny Schnitzer and BJC Zoom Choir singing on Yom Kippur 2020, Bethesda Jewish Congregation, Bethesda, Maryland.

Congregation Beit Simchat Torah's Yom Kippur Neilah Service

Congregation Beit Simchat Torah is a "vibrant spiritual community and a progressive Jewish voice. Founded in 1973, CBST attracts and welcomes gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender, queer, and straight individuals and families who share common values." CBST livestreamed their Yom Kippur Neilah Service so members of its congregation, and those across the country, could join in despite COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings.

Rosh HaShanah services in under three minutes

Through Instagram Reels, a TikTok copycat, I condensed Rosh HaShanah services down to just two and a half minutes. I mostly made it in the empty sanctuary of Congregation KTI in Port Chester, NY. I had seen plenty of creative technological adaptations of high holiday liturgy, but none using the short music video format popularized by TikTok. So I decided to go for it! The Shofar filter on Instagram that I use in the video comes from Valley Beth Shalom, a synagogue in Los Angeles.

The Blast Erev Rosh Ha Shanah 2020

My non-Jewish (who none-the-less raised 3 Jewish children) husband and past sax and clarinet player joined The Blast on Capitol Hill NE on Erev Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah

Here are photos of my 1st day setting for 12 people. I have the outline of the service along with a page of instructions to each participant.

Supporting Ourselves and Our Children Through Challenging Times

Rabbi Dr. Alex Mondrow gave 3 support sessions for the parents of SINAI Schools, which serves children with special needs across the NY metropolitan area. This is part 1 of the series, given about 2 weeks after everyone went into lockdown in NJ.

Jews United for Justice, Interview #1

This interview talks about how Jews United for Justice is maintaining safety, engaging their volunteer community, and adapting their outreach efforts during the pandemic.

My mother's funeral - what it's like to have someone you love die of covid-19

This story, published in the Jewish Standard, tells the story of my mother's death of covid in a nursing home, at the height of the pandemic in New York; her funeral, and sitting shiva for her.

Matching Tallis and mask during a socially distanced minyan

Wearing a Tallis and mask of matching fabric during a socially distanced minyan for Rosh Chodesh Elul

Passover in a Time of Coronavirus

This essay from Rabbi David Spinrad of the Beth El Hebrew Congregation in Alexandria, Virginia, addresses how COVID-19 has forced changes to Passover this year. Using four perspectives (priorities, people, preparation, and traditions), he encourages people to enjoy the holiday despite the coronavirus pandemic; to use technology to gather with love ones from a safe distance; give themselves a break when it comes to preparing for Seder; and to recognize that while traditions are important, they have the opportunity to make history this year instead.

#dynamicdayschools videos

Jewish day schools and yeshivas continue to be incredibly dynamic, providing excellent learning and community-building opportunities, as well as meaningful commemorations and celebrations, throughout this otherwise challenging time in the world. Because of the values our schools share, we are uniquely positioned to adapt to new challenges and innovate unique ways to educate and nurture our students. Enjoy these videos showcasing Jewish day schools across North America, made entirely from videos, pictures, and music sent to us by schools.

When the Buildings Cheered

For five springtime weeks during the pandemic, I walked the sidewalks of New York to capture the nightly 7:00 PM gratitude for front line workers. Wearing a new face mask and holding an old iPhone 5s, I walked on nearly deserted streets that felt both familiar and foreign. As a born New Yorker, I have always found this city to be the most beautiful, ever-evolving place on earth. I still do. Those five weeks became these five minutes… “When The Buildings Cheered.”

Cousins monthly get together turned into Zoom happy hour in Atlanta!

The Bregman clan getting together once covid hit to continue our monthly celebrations with one another!

Corona Contemplations

I have been struggling on how to represent the changes and destruction of life as we know it. Time seems to have shifted dramatically and feels like it is being taken apart bit by bit. Not knowing what the future will be like, the only thing we know is that life will never go back to the way it was in the past. I am participating in a text study and creative arts class which has really helped how I view art and study of sources that guide me and inspire me.

How Will You Move Forward?

"How Will You Move Forward?" is spray-painted onto a red brick sidewalk along 7th Street NW in Washington, D.C., in the near the Chinatown/Gallery Place Metro stop. The art was created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pandemic Religion: A Digital Archive

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