Synagogues adapt creative ways to observe Jewish high holidays
The Boston-area Jewish community is adapting to a very different high holiday period this year, as synagogues have turned to creative ways to bring people together safely amid the coronavirus pandemic and delta variant.
While last year’s high holiday services were nearly all virtual, many local synagogues are now in a hybrid mode.
Some temples had outdoor gatherings for Rosh Hashanah last week and are planning more of those for Yom Kippur this week.
There were also neighborhood shofar blowing services for the Jewish New Year last week, allowing congregants to hear the traditional shofar blowing while keeping a safe social distance amid the delta variant.
“We continue to see our communities and synagogues being creative and resilient and adaptive,” said Rabbi Marc Baker, CEO and president of Combined Jewish Philanthropies.
In addition to the in-person services this year, temples are also offering Zoom and virtual options for people who would prefer to stay home.
To support communal celebrations, Combined Jewish Philanthropies has distributed nearly $200,000 in grants to local synagogues to help them provide hybrid services through updated technology platforms; security services (police detail, added guards, security contractors); or engagement opportunities, such as challah and honey packages to congregants.
Baker noted the security concerns in the Jewish community following the stabbing of a rabbi in Brighton.
“It’s critical that people know they can gather safely,” he added.
The organization has provided $1,800 grants to almost 100 synagogues.
Meanwhile, Combined Jewish Philanthropies has launched a new fund to support Afghan refugees resettling in Boston.
The Fund for Afghan Immigrants and Refugees will provide food, housing, job training and other assistance to newcomers in the region.
More than $300,000 has already been raised for the fund, according to Sarah Abramson, Combined Jewish Philanthropies’ senior vice president of strategy and impact.
The Afghan refugee story connects to the Jewish journey from the last several millennia, she said.
“We know what it feels like to be a stranger,” Abramson added, noting that the Jewish community “is united in the belief that this is the right thing to do” to help the Afghan refugees here, just as Jewish immigrants began new lives in America less than 100 years ago.