Amid virus, Jewish communities link online

Stamford (AP) — As the sun set Friday in Jewish homes across the world, the faithful lit Sabbath candles to participate once again in God’s first creative act — to bring light into the world.

The world was filled with darkness and chaos when, as written in the Torah, God spoke the first words, “Let there be light.”

“Every human being’s responsibility, regardless of faith, is to imitate God,” Congregation Agudath Sholom Rabbi Daniel Cohen said. “To shine light into the darkness and bring order to chaos.”

In ordinary circumstances, about 500 faithful Jewish people gather on Saturdays for shabbat services at Congregation Agudath Sholom. But for the first time, the synagogue or “shul” stood empty Saturday; it is closed to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Uniting in a crisis

In response to the crisis, Cohen and leaders of all Stamford’s synagogues have banded together to live out the mission to vanquish darkness and order chaos caused by the spread of the COVID-19 virus. One way they are doing so is by live-streaming remarks and music that they hope will put people in the right frame of mind for shabbat, when they cannot use technology.

“God works in mysterious ways, and there are opportunities with people hunkered down as families to find renewed hope and deeper friendship,” Cohen said. “This is something we didn’t plan for, and it is important to turn moments of hurt into moments of hope and find light in the darkness.”

The novel coronavirus pandemic has killed thousands, quarantined hundreds of thousands, shut down countries and crashed markets. An air of anxiety and fear hangs over people worldwide as they stock up on supplies, retreat into their homes and forgo the gatherings that once punctuated daily life.

Frequent community gatherings in particular characterize the faith life of Jewish communities in Westchester and Fairfield counties. Time together for mitzvahs, funerals, shabbat services, holy days and classes forms the backbone of their shared religious life.

But these gatherings also exposed about 1,000 people to the novel coronavirus in late February in New Rochelle, the epicenter of New York state’s largest outbreak.

“Part of the reason why this hit the Jewish community so hard is that we share so many social spaces,” Cohen said. “All those interactions make the community beautiful, but it created challenges with the current situation.”