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