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

