‘Closure has been very weird and hard’

scared of being in a small space that is not super well-ventilated.

“And actually, to go back into synagogue [and] be masked up, not be able to talk to each other, not being able to sing with each other and being distanced, would be a few steps back from what we’re able to do online.”

V BRIGHTON PROGRESSIVE Synagogue congregants are in exile for the second time in a decade. The first dates back to 2011, when the shul closed for 50 months of renovations.

Latterly, Covid-19 has forced the community out of its beloved new home, with no indication of when they might return.

It’s not the way Rabbi Elli Tikvah Sarah, who is retiring in April after 20 years leading BPS, hoped her tenure would end. “It’s been very weird and very hard.

“I wish we could have filmed people’s faces when they walked into the building for the first time [in 2015],” she said.

“We were exiled for all that time and didn’t have this wonderful building.” Now it was standing unused again.

“We’re missing a beautiful space that is so welcoming. That has been very painful.”

Rabbi Sarah knew of members able to access BPS services on Zoom who had opted not to do so. “They don’t want to do anything until we’re back in the building again.”

She explained that because of the synagogue’s size, no more than around a dozen people could be accommodated in the sanctuary under social distancing rules. “How would we decide who would go and who wouldn’t?”

And while other shuls had got “quite glossy about their online presentation”, she wanted to recreate the experience of community as best she could by ensuring everything was streamed live — even if that meant worrying the internet would suddenly cut out mid-barmitzvah. The shul has also distributed care packages to members and tries to maintain ties with those who can’t or won’t engage online. Meanwhile, the rabbi says nothing will beat the day when she will finally be able to again take in the shul’s rainbow arch. After enjoying “a complete retreat”, she looked forward to “visiting the synagogue and seeing people”.

Rabbi Elli Tikvah Sarah