The Opportunity of the Pandemic for Liberal Synagogues

The historian of religion Jaroslav Pelikan wrote that we have a choice either to be “conscious participants” in tradition or its “unconscious victims.” The pandemic has demonstrated that American Jews are without a doubt the former. As Jack Wertheimer so robustly shows, to look at what synagogues across the country have done in the past year is to see the verve and vivacity of American Judaism. Not only have we seen successful efforts at maintaining our communities, but in many cases they are stronger. More people are tuning in for worship and learning, and a newfound love and appreciation for Jewish belonging seems to have awoken in people overnight. One year into this mess, that love has yet to abate. But will it?

As the worst of the current health emergency seems to be behind us, will this enthusiasm for Jewish life continue? Or, to put it cynically, for the members of liberal Jewish denominations, where will Friday-night services and Torah classes fall on a list of priorities when restaurants and theaters reopen and we can once again eat in each other’s homes?

Above all, 2020 was a year of uncertainty. Only rarely in recent history have our communities lived through a time where so much was unknown. The circumstances forced us to contend with our mortality, with how we care for others, and with the consequences of living in an interconnected, globalized world. We wondered how to create engaging online worship experiences, and how to keep our communities safe but connected; how to care for those in isolation, and how to mark the death of loved ones properly. We also asked questions of more limited scope, such as: could a deeply flawed religious school be transformed into a vibrant online experience? And if so, how? Prior to last year, the national Jewish conversation at times felt stale, repetitive, and slow, but the pandemic gave it a much-needed jump start, and so it is alive again, with new questions, and a newly inspired and ready-to-listen audience.