Pandemic Religion: A Digital Archive

Items

• 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.

• hope !

  I have been going to the same church since I was four years old. Every Sunday, holiday or even during school. I fell in love with not only Jesus and the church but the people around me during mass or gatherings. When COVID shut everything down it made me feel lost and I did not know what to do. When they started doing online services it felt better but just was not the same. After everything was settling down they opened up an outdoor service which was amazing and brought many people together! During all this chaos I learned how to pray better and use this time to connect with Jesus more which made me feel more grateful.

• 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.

• God is not surprised

  The shutdown of life as we knew it that occurred March 13, 2020 came as a shock to my workplace, Habitat for Humanity Susquehanna, an ecumenical Christian affordable housing ministry, my church Christ fellowship and family and friends. At first we all thought two weeks and life would return to “normal”. We were wrong... 8 months later our office and our church have not yet started gathering in person yet. Our church will begin mid November and our office not likely until the new year. And although we haven’t returned to “normal” I have witnessed a sense of community and an increased commitment to doing good to benefit others. Our pastor started daily morning Live devotions which have provided comfort and peace in these uncertain times. At work we typically hold three events a year to fund the home building and 2 of the 3 have been virtual yet the turnout has been stronger despite the change. Response to our request to financial help those Habitat families who have lost their jobs pay their mortgage was overwhelming. Our church is hosting an advent giving campaign to collect donations to support Habitat. My faith has been strengthened as I’ve witnessed miracle after miracle of what looks like a negative be turned into a blessing these past 8 months. We were surprised but God Is not. He has a beautiful plan and Keeps showing it in a multitude of ways and the slower pace has afforded me/us more opportunities daily to notice them. My faith in humanity and goodness has been strengthened as well as, despite the bitter division in this country, more people are committed to providing a hand up, not out and by tangibly reflecting the love of God to others in need. No Human would ask to learn these lessons through a pandemic but God in His perfect wisdom knew just how to turn the horror of a pandemic and use it for good. I pray I keep these lessons learned close to my heart when things “return to normal” and I hope they don’t completely turn to normal - I pray I/we keep a slower pace and more outward other oriented focus. ?????

• Audra K

  I didn’t know what would happen with my Christian church that I love. When everything shut down in March we thought it would only be a week or two. Weeks quickly turned into months and our church started on line services. I actually really enjoyed them - although I missed the interaction and fellowship of being in the church building. It became apparent that church is in our hearts and we are the church - not a building. My church did also start outdoor service over the summer which was wonderful. Church (the body of Christ) lives within all of Gods children and we can worship Him and pray wherever we are. Thank you Jesus❣️
• 

  Ekoji's Virtual Dharma Talks

  This is a collection of virtual dharma talks from the Ekoji Buddhist Temple in Fairfax Station, Virginia.
• 

  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.
• 

  The Glories of Gathering

  This sermon discusses the isolation created by the COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of gathering in Christianity. The sermon quotes Hebrews 10:24-25 and is structured around the verse: "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."
• 

  Capitol Hill Baptist Church v. Muriel Bowser and District of Columbia

  Capitol Hill Baptist Church, a prominent Evangelical church in Washington, D.C., is suing Mayor Muriel Bowser and the District of Columbia for its restrictions on religious gatherings. The lawsuit argues that D.C.'s restrictions on mass gatherings infringe on the church's First and Fifth Amendment rights and violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
• 

  A Devotional on Psalm 91

  At the beginning of the pandemic in the U.S., Psalm 91 came up in people's prayers, conversations, and on social media. The phrase "no plague will come near your tent" was relevant for the time.
• 

  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.
• 

  All Saint's Episcopal Church in Atlanta: Hymns from Home

  When the All Saint's Episcopal Church in Atlanta temporarily closed all of their church buildings to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, they began sharing videos of their musicians performing the hymns requested by members of their community through The Hymn Project.
• 

  Faithful Leadership in a Time of Pandemic

  Join public health experts Dr. Arjun Srinivasan and Dr. Joe Bresee for a conversation on faithful leadership. Learn how their faith has informed their work and how responding to the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped their faith.
• 

  All Saint's Episcopal Church in Atlanta: Easter

  This collection of videos shares how the All Saint's Episcopal Church in Atlanta celebrated Easter virtually amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 

  All Saint's Episcopal Church in Atlanta: Music in a pandemic

  This collection of videos represents some of the music created and shared by the All Saint's Episcopal Church in Atlanta during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• We Were Not Invincible

  In early July, in the sanctuary of my rural church, I remember speaking to our Pastor (a middle-aged, simple styled caucasian man, known for his "go with the flow" attitude) about the pandemic, and its possible effects on the church. Although large gatherings had been banned in our state, he reassured me that our services would not change or adhere to new COVID-19 guidelines. It was as if he believed that our tiny corner of the world could not be reached by a pandemic. Was the hand of God hovering solely over us? Church continued for a couple of weeks; communion was taken, numbers hardly faltered, and no social distancing or mask wearing occured. At first, we did seem untouchable. Until...we weren't. Suddenly, members of the church started falling ill. The first two positive tests shocked the congregation. The choir got it, the deacons got it. School age children and elderly patrons got it. Even the Pastor, and his daughter, tested positive. Our lightheartedness came back to bite us, but everyone was too proud to admit our faults.
• 

  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.
• 

  Asylee Women Enterprise, Interview #2

  Tiffany Nelms from the Asylee Women Enterprise talks about the ways in which their organization is adapting to COVID and continuing to provide a safe and supportive environment for their community. She also discusses the dramatic toll that the pandemic has taken on the refugee community.