D

rive-in Havdalah. 
Programs in the park 
and on driveways. 
Teaching in tents. Camp-style 
learning in an actual camp.
Detroit’
s religious school edu-
cators are pulling out the stops 
on creativity to engage their 
students in the age of COVID. 
While several have opted for 
all-virtual programming, others 
took advantage of Michigan’
s 
mild autumn weather by hold-
ing classes and other education-
al programs outdoors as long as 
they could.
Congregation Shir Tikvah in 
Troy has gone primarily online 
but kicked off its school year 
with an in-person, drive-in-style 

Havdalah program with camp 
crafts and songs. The program 
also gave the community a good 
opportunity to meet their new 
rabbi, Alicia Harris, in person.
Congregation Shaarey Zedek 
in Southfield used its spacious 
outdoor William Saulson 
Pavilion for several pop-up pro-
grams, with participants appro-
priately distanced. 
Temple Israel in West 
Bloomfield put up a large tent 
over the summer and planned 
to use it through October. 
“Students and parents were 
thrilled that we were offering 
safe options to be together in 
person, and everyone was so 
happy to see one another,
” said 

Rabbi Arianna Gordon, director 
of education and lifelong learn-
ing.
In the JEMS (Jewish 
Education Matters) program at 
The Shul in West Bloomfield, 
instructors visited pods of chil-
dren on their home driveways, 
with lessons that engaged the 
whole family.
Shir Shalom in West 
Bloomfield was one of several 
schools that offered families a 
choice of in-person and online 
programs. For the in-person 
programs, they used the fields 
and shelters at the Jewish 
Community Center day camp.
“
A number of years ago, we 
moved to a camp-style model of 
programming. Walking down 
the gravel road at the JCC has 
made our program feel even 
more like being at camp,
” said 

Rabbi Daniel A. Schwartz, 
who expects the outdoor pro-
gramming to continue until 
Thanksgiving and then start up 
again in early March.
Temple Beth El in Bloomfield 
Township offered families a 
choice of weekly online sessions 
or a series of six in-person 
workshops held outdoors under 

a tent. Students can choose 
to enroll in both tracks. “The 
in-person programs have been 
more popular, especially since 
so many of our students began 
the year doing their secular 
schooling exclusively online,
” 
said Deborah Morosohk, direc-
tor of education. More than a 
few have chosen to do both the 
virtual and in-person programs.
Like public and private 
schools, religious schools had 
to scramble when COVID shut 
down all but the most essential 
services in the state in mid-
March. Administrators and 
faculty started planning then for 
what they would do this year. 
Yachad, the joint school for 
Congregation Beth Shalom 
and Temple Emanu-El, both in 
Oak Park, decided to delay the 
start of the school year so that 

families could settle into their 
new secular school routines. 
The school offers two options, 
one with Zoom classes and one 
where students learn in small 
pods, said Abi Taylor-Abt, edu-
cator rabbi.
Melissa Ser, director of educa-
tion at Adat Shalom Synagogue 
in Farmington Hills, said she 

TEMPLE BETH EL

Religious Schools 
Confront COVID
Congregations adapt to the
pandemic to ensure young people 
can grow and thrive Jewishly.

BARBARA LEWIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

IN 
THE
JEWS D

Young people gather 

at Temple Beth El.

Bailey Columbus and Josephine 

Frank at an outdoor Shir Shalom 

program.

SHIR SHALOM

“STUDENTS AND PARENTS 
WERE THRILLED THAT WE WERE 
OFFERING SAFE OPTIONS TO BE 
TOGETHER IN PERSON.”

— TEMPLE ISRAEL RABBI ARIANNA GORDON

YACHAD

Liam and Alice 

Moser attend an 

online Yachad 

program.

22 | OCTOBER 22 • 2020