8 | APRIL 22 • 2021 

guest column
Judaism After the Pandemic
I

n countless conversations, 
the same words arise to 
describe this past year: 
loss, loneliness, fear, as well 
as opportunity, gratitude and 
“silver linings.” 
Mourners 
grieved alone. 
Parents suf-
fered exhaus-
tion. Children 
regressed. Teens 
and adults bat-
tled depression 
and anxiety. Divorces multi-
plied. 
Yet also, among the Jewish 
community in particular, 
adult education flourished; 
the numbers of people par-
ticipating in prayer services 
grew; and innovation took 
hold. Synagogues adapted. 
People reported renewed 
focus on their most important 
priorities, including family, 
community and compassion 
for those in need. 
As COVID-19 transforms 
from an acute crisis to a 
chronic condition, Jewish 
leaders are wrestling with 
which institutional changes 

brought about in the past year 
deserve to continue. What 
remains clear, however, is that 
Judaism holds the potential 
to address the greatest ills 
facing humanity and, in a 
post-pandemic world, partic-
ipating actively in synagogue 
life offers the most direct path 
to a life of meaning, purpose 
and joy.

THE ROLE OF 
TECHNOLOGY
Following the shutdown 
of synagogue buildings, 
the tools that create digital 
gatherings revolutionized 
notions of community. Zoom 
and similar programs cre-
ated opportunities in which 
Michigan synagogues might 
grant aliyot to members win-
tering in Florida; for families 
in mourning around the 
world to join virtually with 
their loved ones in reciting 
Kaddish together; and for 
those with illness or disability 
to engage more fully in com-
munal life.
Synagogue members 
reported connecting more 

deeply with prayer services by 
seeing their clergy up close 
and by eliminating the dis-
traction of other worshippers 
around them. 
In a post-pandemic world, 
synagogues and temples will 
continue to utilize online tools 
as a complement to in-person 
adult education opportunities, 
religious school and commit-
tee meetings. However, for 
prayer in particular, syna-
gogues and temples will need 
to decide the extent to which 
they utilize technology. After 
all, a fine line exists between 

technology serving as an aid 
to building community and 
enhancing faith, and on the 
other side, technology serving 
as a distraction or impediment 
to religious life.

WE NEED TO 
BE TOGETHER
Indeed, suffering through the 
pandemic for more than a 
year emphasized for us that 
technology cannot replace 
real-life human companion-
ship; in-person community 
is as vital to sustaining life 
as food, water and shelter. 

Rabbi Aaron 
Starr

A Shabbat service at Congregation Shaarey Zedek, available for those 
in person and on Zoom.

PURELY COMMENTARY

SCREENSHOT

Wilkerson, the author of the 
bestselling book Caste, and 
then following it up the next 
day with a smaller workshop 
called “Bringing it Home: 
Exploring the Caste System 
in Our Communities.” It was 
absolutely eye opening. 
We are quick to attri-
bute caste systems to other 
countries, but she helped us 
to recognize that the same 
kind of system exists here 
in the United States. As she 

explained: “Caste focuses 
on the infrastructure of our 
divisions and the rankings, 
whereas race is the metric 
that’s used to determine one’s 
place in that.” Caste, rather 
than racism, is a better defi-
nition, and I was surprised to 
learn that the concept of race 
didn’t exist until 400 years 
ago, as an American inven-
tion.
For the rabbis in my 
breakout room, being able 

to engage in deep 
conversation with 
colleagues about 
caste and race was 
incredibly pow-
erful, and all of 
us left inspired to 
bring the conversa-
tion home.
That same kind 
of inspiration 
pervaded the con-
ference, though 
not always on such 
a serious level. 
Starting out with Havdalah 

on Saturday night 
and a totally enter-
taining perfor-
mance by comedian 
Liz Glazer, the fun 
continued the next 
night as our chief 
executive, Rabbi 
Hara Person, invit-
ed us into her kitch-
en to demonstrate 
her family seder 
recipes. 
Class reunions 
are always a blast, 
and this year we honored 

THE CCAR continued from page 4

Rabbi Harold Loss 
was celebrated for 
marking 50 years 
in the rabbinate.

