AUGUST 17 • 2023 | 21

thought I would learn so 
much about Zoom and 
ways to keep congregants 
engaged during services! It 
was really like learning to be a 
television performer or TikTok 
personality! I very much 
appreciated the help of our 
technical crew at the temple, 
who often helped with screen-
sharing, bringing in lively 
videos from musical groups 
like 613 or the Maccabeats, 
especially at the opening of 
our services,” says Rabbi Dorit 
Edut, part-time rabbi at Bay 
City’s Temple Beth 
Israel, a Reform 
congregation that 
serves the Jewish 
communities of 
Bay City, Saginaw 
and Midland.
Rabbi Bergman 
said, “Sermons were very hard 
because you don’t get audience 
feedback. You don’t know who 
you’re talking to on Zoom.”
Some congregations bought 
audiovisual equipment and 
computers, using their own 
staff and members to live 
stream religious services. 
Several larger congregations 
used and continue to use 
professional production 
companies to create engaging, 
high-quality services on Zoom 
or YouTube.
Rabbis and congregants 
agree that online services and 
programs lack the personal 

connection of being together, 
but they do expand access. 
Even after COVID restrictions 
were loosened, many 
congregations continued and 
still provide hybrid services 
so that people can participate 
online or in-person. This is 
convenient for people who are 
“snowbirds,” out of town for 
other reasons, or not healthy 
enough or otherwise reluctant 
to attend in person.
When public gatherings 
were again permitted, some 
congregations added tents or 
outdoor pavilions to facilitate 
in-person attendance while 
avoiding close indoor contact. 
Some synagogues, such as 
Congregation Shaarey Zedek 
and Adat Shalom Synagogue, 
purchased or expanded air 
circulation systems as a safety 
measure for indoor events. 
The congregation also built a 
new playground “to encourage 
families to socialize again,” 
says Rabbi Aaron Starr of 
Congregation Shaarey Zedek, a 

Conservative shul 
in Southfield. 
COVID also 
had an impact 
on synagogue 
operating 
expenses and 
revenues. While 
costs for utilities and Kiddush 
declined when buildings 
were closed or access limited, 
there were new expenses 
for audiovisual equipment 
and software. Also, revenues 
declined from fundraisers and 
other events that could not be 
held inside.

RETURNING TO A 
NEW NORMAL
While the availability of 
vaccines generally eased 
anxiety about COVID, some 
congregations were divided 
about their value, the need 
for health precautions and the 
overall political climate. 
“There was a divisive sense 
within people that made the 
job more challenging. We 

were trying to accommodate 
everyone who was coming 
to shul,” explains Rabbi 
Silberberg. His 
congregation had 
a two-minyan 
system (to 
accommodate 
those with 
different concerns 
about COVID) for 
a long time.
“There’s no sense in 
pretending the world hasn’t 
changed. There is unresolved 
trauma. People are looking 
for connection,” says Rabbi 
Bergman. 
Rabbis from six congre-
gations — two Orthodox, two 
Reform and two Conservative 
— say that membership levels 
have remained relatively stable 
during and after COVID. 
Several mention that some 
members have not returned 
to religious services in person 
— either due to concern about 
exposure to COVID or the ease 
of online access. Depending 
on the congregation, daily 
minyanim may be on Zoom, 
in person or both.
“The mission of Judaism is 
relational — to bring people 
closer to God, to each other, 
to help those in need. All 
of us had to innovate and 
renovate. It helped us to clarify 
what we do and strengthened 
relationships,” Rabbi Starr says. 

Rabbi Dorit 
Edut

Rabbi 
Aaron Starr

Rabbi 
Shneur 
Silberberg

Post-Pandemic Trends

The use of technology has continued — bolstering 
participation in religious services and educational 
programs. Attendance at hybrid (combined online and 
in-person services and programs) sometimes exceeds 
pre-COVID levels, according to several local rabbis.
Some individuals are still concerned about being 
in large groups of people and prefer to avoid such 
events.
Synagogue and temple membership levels have 
generally been maintained at pre-COVID levels.

TEMPLE ISRAEL

Temple Israel holds 
services in its Harriett 
& Morton Freedman 
Outdoor Sanctuary 
during the summer.

