The Death of a Synagogue

During the coronavirus pandemic, Uri Allen became the rabbi of suburban New Jersey synagogue that “was once a vibrant and shining example of post-war Conservative Judaism” but had become “just a shell of its former self.” Allen and his congregants realized not too long afterward that it would soon be time to shutter its doors, something that is likely to happen to many American houses of Jewish worship in the coming years. He describes the process, to which he gave careful thought, looking to traditional laws of burial and mourning for guidance. Particularly difficult was