‘ Create a sacred place’
Jewish congregations prepare to mark high holy days during pandemic
TRUMBULL — There is a saying that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘ till it’s gone. Nowhere is that more evident than at Congregation B’nai Torah in Trumbull, where participation in services, activities and social groups has surged since the COVID- 19 pandemic forced the temple’s leaders to close the building to all but essential staff.
“There is this need for community,” said Fred Knopf, one of the temple’s three board presidents. “Back in March, within a few weeks of the pandemic beginning, we made the
decision to move our services and activity groups online. Now, even when this all ends and we can welcome people back into the building, we are committed to continuing our live streaming presence.”
As Jews around the world prepare to celebrate the high holy days from Rosh Hashana to Yom Kippur, beginning this year at sundown Sept. 18 — the 29th day of Elul — the Hebrew calendar ticks over to the year 5781. For the first time in all those years, many congregations will celebrate the occasion online.
“It really is unprecedented,” Knopf said.
B’nai Torah will host online services Friday evening and Saturday and Sunday morning. Family and junior congregation services will be conducted via Zoom, according to Amanda Wendt, a board president.
“Kids that age are really just learning about the meaning of the holy days, so we decided to have a more interactive stream,” Wendt said.
This required a bit of creativity, borrowed from the local library.
“They can’t pass around the mahzor ( holy days prayer book), but we were able to find a digital version,” Wendt said. “And last week we were outside handing them out like the library does, with curbside drive- through pickups.”
Other congregations in the area are making similar adjustments. At Congregation B’nai Israel in Bridgeport, the members are hosting an online beach party.
“We will bring our beach band together and broadcast the service over multiple channels,” wrote President Larry Levine.
“Be as creative as you like where you set up — on the beach, at a lake, in a park, at your home. We hope the music and energy will still enable you to have the majestic experience you love and know by the shores of the sea.”
B’nai Israel also will host drive- through in- person shofar services by reservation at four locations in Bridgeport, Fairfield and Trumbull for those who feel that experiencing the blast of a ceremonial ram’s horn online just won’t cut it.
Other congregations, including Westport’s Conservative Synagogue, will offer streamed services. Some, including Chabad of Fairfield, are going with traditional in- person services, albeit outdoors and socially distanced.
Whatever the plan for the holy days, Wendt said the most important factor was that the congregations feel the spirit of community.
“We have a moment in our service where we literally walk the Torah around and greet every single person and allow them a personal moment with the rabbi or cantor,” Wendt said. That won’t happen this year, but the congregation is making efforts to ensure personal time for each members.
“We’re trying our best to give everybody what they need,” she said.
If there has been a benefit to the pandemic- forced closing of houses of worship, it is that the remote services have allowed members to reconnect, Knopf said.
“Our activities and Torah discussions have had sometimes hundreds of people logged in,” he said. “People are logging in from around the world. And there are B’nai Torah alumni, people who have moved away, but they are logging in and becoming part of our community again.”
And, even separated by thousands of miles in some cases, Wendt encouraged the members to find a way to keep a sense of community.
“Instead of logging on from your dining room table, create a sacred space in your home,” she said. “Find a place where your family can be together, maybe dress up. Put yourself in a place to make a connection.”