L
ocal synagogue buildings are mainly empty, due to COVID-
19, but their congregations are far from dormant. When
the Michigan Board of Rabbis decided on March 12, 2020
to close synagogue buildings due to the risk of infection from the
coronavirus, they acted in advance of Michigan’
s March 23 stay-
at-home order that prohibited public gatherings. While houses of
worship were exempt from state penalties, local synagogues wanted
to be cautious.
“We saved scores, maybe hundreds, of lives in this
community because we closed down,
” said Rabbi Paul
Yedwab of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield.
While their buildings were shuttered, many syna-
gogues made a quick transition to online Shabbat ser-
vices, seders, classes and other programs. These Zoom
and other online offerings have attracted thousands
of Jewish congregants. While Orthodox shuls do not
use Zoom on Shabbat or holidays, some Orthodox synagogues,
such as the Sara and Morris Tugman Chabad Torah Center of West
Bloomfield, offer pre-Shabbat and other religious education pro-
grams online.
“Synagogues were not just putting things online. They made
calls and sent emails and cards to members. It wasn’
t easy. It has
taken a huge effort on the part of rabbis, cantors and teachers,
” said
Dr. Ron Wolfson, Fingerhut Professor of Education at American
Jewish University in Los Angeles. He is co-founder of Synagogue
3000, a nonprofit that trains Jewish leaders, and author
of a handbook for Jewish congregations. (See sidebar.)
While some congregations have live-streamed
Shabbat services for several years, many had no online
experience. Converting all programming to online
platforms brought new challenges and opportunities.
“The impossibility of singing together in real time is
a downer for all of us, but we’
ve found some creative
solutions to allow other modes of interactivity — like
having input from congregants via the chat, using
breakout rooms for discussion and schmoozing and
more,
” said Jake Ehrlich, community engagement asso-
ciate at Congregation T’
chiyah, a Reconstructionist
synagogue based in Oak Park.
Several congregations, such as Shaarey Zedek in
Southfield, report higher levels of participation through Zoom
than for in-person services. Rabbi Yedwab describes Temple Israel
members’
online engagement as “very robust,
” including 20,000
individuals participating in an online seder.
Synagogue observers cite several possible reasons for this — the
convenience of online participation, the increased availability of
Jews in the D
cover story
DETROIT JEWISH POPULATION STUDY
INDICATED DECLINING SYNAGOGUE
MEMBERSHIP
The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit’
s 2018 population study includ-
ed synagogue membership data for four
streams of Judaism as well as 18 local tem-
ples and synagogues. Membership grew
overall only for Orthodox synagogues.
From 2005-2018, Orthodox synagogue
membership increased 16 percent to 1,900
households. Membership in Conservative
synagogues decreased 19 percent from
4,400 households to 3,500 households.
Membership in Reconstructionist syna-
gogues remained approximately the same
from 2005 to 2018 — about 60 households.
Membership in local Reform congregations
declined 13 percent from 7,250 households
in 2005 to 6,300 households in 2018.
Among the 18 local congregations
14 | AUGUST 6 • 2020
Will the pandemic and
other challenges change the
way we worship communally?
SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Future
Synagogue
of the
Dr. Ron
Wolfson
Jake Ehrlich
Rabbi Paul
Yedwab
ALEXANDER CLEGG/JEWISH NEWS