DECEMBER 31 • 2020 | 31
P
rayer in Judaism is an
interesting concept.
While there is nothing
inherently wrong with one
praying by oneself, there is
certainly a pref-
erence for com-
munal prayer.
Worshiping
k’yachid, or indi-
vidually, satisfies
the Jewish obli-
gation for daily
prayer, but there
are several sections of the prayer
service that can only be done
when a minyan (prayer quorum
of 10 people) is constituted.
During the COVID-19 pan-
demic, the strong desire we
have for communal worship
has posed a challenge to clergy.
Certainly, technology has solved
many of the inherent problems
that occur when it is impossible
for community members to
congregate in person due to the
health risks. We have seen how
video conferencing apps like
Zoom have become common-
place for group worship. But we
have also seen examples of what
happens when technology fails,
as it did for dozens of congre-
gations dependent on the syn-
agogue website company Shul
Cloud, whose servers failed on
Yom Kippur, the most heavily
trafficked day of the year for
virtual synagogue prayer.
Congregations are not simply
relying on Zoom to be the sav-
ior of communal prayer during
the pandemic. New, innovative
options are being created to give
congregants the feeling of truly
being together in a community,
whether for Shabbat and holi-
day prayer services, bar and bat
mitzvah ceremonies or funerals
and shivah minyans.
A new cutting-edge tech-
nological prayer program
that is gaining in popularity
amid the pandemic is Visual
T’filah. Created by the Central
Conference of American Rabbis
(CCAR), this app was used by
nearly half of the Reform com-
munity during the recent High
Holidays to enhance prayer and
help worshipers find deeper
meaning in prayers.
Rather than simply show the
prayer leader and pages from
the siddur (prayer book) on
Zoom, Visual T’filah creates a
multimedia experience while
participants are engaged in the
prayer service. It utilizes con-
temporary technology to dis-
play liturgy intermingled with
art and other visual imagery.
Interestingly, Visual T’filah
has existed for several years but
because of the pandemic the
resource has gained newfound,
widespread use as congregations
look to enhance their remote
services using Zoom. The tech-
nology is rather simple since
it is a collection of PowerPoint
files. Each congregation can
use the multimedia files as they
see fit during the virtual prayer
service and can create custom
slides as well.
Local congregations in
Michigan have adopted Virtual
T’filah already. “We have used
Visual T’filah since we began
meeting virtually this spring,
”
explained Rabbi Matthew J.
Zerwekh of Temple
Emanu-El in Oak
Park.
“I am thankful
to have an artistic
and easy-to-use
tool that can help
make our services
accessible to our
congregation, no matter if they
have a prayerbook at home or
not. Visual T’filah allows us to
be flexible and creative with our
liturgy and music while present-
ing a beautiful and meaningful
presentation of the service.
”
SENSORY EXPERIENCES
When hundreds are gathered
in a sanctuary, we are engaged
in many sensory experiences.
This is not the case when we are
looking at a computer, tablet or
phone screen and only seeing
other people in boxes, as is the
case with Zoom. Virtual T’filah
seeks to provide some of those
sensory experiences that add so
much to our prayer experience,
making it feel more spiritual.
Rabbi Hara Person, chief
executive of the CCAR, made
the case for Visual T’filah.
“While this remarkable technol-
ogy has been used successfully
by congregations nationwide
for years,
” she said, “we’re
very proud to see how rabbis
and their communities have
embraced Visual T’filah to find
new opportunities for meaning-
ful spiritual experiences during
this challenging time.
”
Visual T’filah was creat-
ed by Rabbi Dan Medwin,
who serves as director of
digital media for the CCAR.
Congregations do not have to
be affiliated with the Reform
Movement to purchase a
license for Visual T’filah. In
fact, the files can be edited to
adapt to any congregation and
for any type of prayer service,
from a high holiday gathering
to an intimate bat mitzvah cel-
ebration.
Visual T’filah is just another
example of the ingenuity that
Jewish leaders are demonstrat-
ing during these unprecedented
times. While it is still difficult to
believe that we haven’t been able
to gather as a community in
our houses of worship since the
early part of this year, we have
been making due and technolo-
gy has played an important role
in helping us feel as if we are
gathered together to worship
and give thanks to God.
Rabbi Jason Miller is a local educator
and entrepreneur. He is president of
Access Technology in West Bloomfield,
a full-scale tech company and web mar-
keting agency.
New App Enhances
Prayer During
Pandemic
Rabbi
Matthew J.
Zerwekh
CCAR
IN
THE
JEWS D
JEWS IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Rabbi Jason
Miller
Visual T’filah