I never knew my synagogue’s name. I never even knew it had one.
I grew up out west…well, North Dakota. Western North Dakota. Minot.
We never called our shul by name. We just said we were going to services, and we knew exactly where we were going. Plus, my father led our traditional conservative services. He knew.
From Minot, I came to the Twin Cities. Synagogue No. 1 was Adath Jeshurun, back when it was on Dupont in Minneapolis. I couldn’t believe they used the same prayer book! After the service, I told the rabbi, “We use the same prayer book in Minot!” He gave me such a look and moved on. Ahhh, my sweet innocence.
After a few more stops, I eventually made my way to Beth Jacob. I saw a familiar face – they had lived in Minot! I heard familiar tunes! They used the same prayer book we used in Minot! I was hooked. That became my home.
Until Covid hit. Then all bets were off.
I toured the Twin Cities. Heck, I toured the country. And I learned that temples and synagogues settled into two camps: those with a limited budget, set up a lone camera and called it a day, and those who had the big donors, recognized Zooming people as fellow congregants and adjusted their technology accordingly, invitingly.
I immediately went to Park Avenue Synagogue in New York, a place I would never be able to enter (how much to tip the greeter?) I mean, c’mon – Cantor Azi Schwartz, such a voice. They recognized that zooming congregants provided new opportunities for members. I watched as they turned their sanctuary into a full-blown TV studio – multi-cameras, teleprompter for sermons (Rabbi Cosgrove is such a fine speaker). It is now like being in the audience of a Big Bang Theory live-taping.
A dear friend recommended IKAR, a non-denominational temple in Los Angeles, and I was hooked. It formally recognized their “IKAR from Afar” non-local zooming members. It was the most upbeat service I had ever seen. Don’t know the words? Hum along! Cantor Hillel Tagay has a deeper voice than most cantors I have heard. I was wowed by their four rabbis harmonizing with their cantor (was this part of the hiring process?) It was a 180-degree turn from how I was raised, and it was thoroughly meaningful. It made me question what I thought and loved about my Jewish tradition.
And they had Rabbi Sharon Brous, who’s as heartfelt as they come. Whose sermons were (and continue to be) incredible. IKAR recognizes every donation, no matter how small (yeah, that’d be me) with an acknowledging phone call. I totally marked out when my luncheon donation was said and thanked during the service alongside the other donations.
The downside? The isolation. That’s huge and not easy to overcome. There’s an absence of community, and physically being with our fellow Jews, especially at this time of increased antisemitism. And receiving fundraising notices that start at $50k. Also: good luck getting an Aliyah. However, I can pause a service and get something to drink. I can replay a part of the service. Most synagogues post their services on YouTube. Don’t look for an Orthodox or Chabad service. They’re not using cameras or mics.
The Zoom bar has been raised. Some shuls simply look upward at the bar and can ill-afford to acknowledge it. Others recognize there’s a new playing field (I see you, Nat Bear.) But the Jewish religious world is now your oyster … perhaps a poor choice of words on my part. Enjoy away!
Oh, and the synagogue in Minot? Temple Beth Israel. Who knew?
There is one big plus to attending the Zoom Shul. We do not live in the same city as my son and his family. But every Saturday we have the pleasure of seeing our grandson walk up and onto the Bima, along with the other students. And when we do visit and attend a service, I do not feel like a stranger, but connected to this Jewish community.
What Fred doesn’t mention is that at Beth Jacob, we have kept the morning minyan zoom going even though we are back in person in the Saide Chapel. This allows those who are unable to come in person to continue to say kaddish. My own family zooms in for yahrzeits and that’s a great moment to share.
To make a minyan, we must have 10 in the room. We rarely miss having a minyan. Morning minyan, both in person and on zoom, is an important part of our shul and, for many of us, our daily life.
We’re at BJC weekday mornings at 7:15a. Find us on line at Beth-Jacob dot org or come join us in person We even have our own coffee machine!