Virtual services seem to have become a preference for many

Around 8 p.m. on Nov. 5, an odd feeling of confusion overtook me.

There I was, at my synagogue, Temple Israel in West Palm Beach, Fla. I was sitting at a table, talking to someone and eating. “What is this thing we are doing?” I asked myself. “What do you call this?”

Ah, yes. I suddenly remembered. It is called an oneg Shabbat — that thing after the Shabbat eve service where people get together to shmooze, eat and socialize.

I had forgotten what it was like. So, too, I had almost forgotten about what happened before that: more than a hundred worshippers in our sanctuary. Yes, masked. Yes, socially distanced.

We had been open for months. Yes, we had great attendance for the High Holy Days. But, those numbers were nothing like this Friday evening.

There they were. They were singing with our soloist, Peri Smilow — whom they had never met or heard or sung with in person, who usually does services with us remotely on Zoom from her home in New Jersey. Her voice and guitar stunningly merged with the artistry of our pianist, David Block. (Frankly, she was the draw!)

People. Singing. In our sanctuary.

OMG. Literally — OMG.

Which brings me to David Suissa’s recent article, “A Problem Too Painful To Look At,” in the Jewish Journal. David has named an anxiety many Jewish leaders are experiencing:

“On one hand, there’s real excitement about how digital technology has kept so many communities connected and has expanded global reach.

“But beneath that excitement, I noticed a simmering anxiety that has become difficult to confront: How permanent is the lingering reluctance to enter enclosed spaces like synagogues? Has the amazing convenience of online technology led to new habits that will be hard to shake?”

The killer quote:

“The synagogue world is now faced with two extremes — the miracle of digital versus the trauma of dwindling attendance.

They both feed off each other, and together represent a threat to the future viability of many synagogues, especially those that were already struggling.”

David is not alone in his worries. It is an interfaith activity. There have been several oft