Chief Rabbi’s communal vision is the way forward
Last Pesach, there was at the least the novelty value of a lockdown Seder. This year, we do not even have that to console us. There is no escaping the fact that this will be a desolate Pesach; not only are we unable to welcome strangers, we cannot even host members of our own family. We are jaded and fed up. But however grim the prospect of an atomised Seder is, the vaccine means there is light at the end of tunnel. And it is in that context — a variation, if you like, on the Pesach story of freedom — that the Chief Rabbi’s essay for us this week is so important.
He is far from the first person to observe that we can learn lessons for the future from some of the innovations brought about by the needs of lockdown. Many will share his observation that simchas do not need to be as large or lavish as they became, pre-lockdown. We all want to return to being physically together, in the same room — but the simplicity of Zoom events is itself a virtue that we should repeat when we can again meet. But his vision of a Judaism unconstrained by the restrictions of bricks and mortar is genuinely exciting, offering all sorts of possibilities for the future.
Forward looking synagogues were already thinking about how they could develop and flourish before the pandemic struck. Such thinking is now immediately relevant, as many of us have seen alternatives to the traditional model. It is encouraging that the Chief Rabbi intends to be at the forefront of this discussion — shaping a Judaism that adapts to and reflects the many positives of the world which we will build after lockdown.
Forward looking synagogues were already thinking about how they could develop and flourish’