TELL magazine: December 2020 - Emanuel Synagogue

{COVID, CONNECTION AND COMMUNITY}
Rabbi Jeffrey B. Kamins OAM
As we begin 5781 and close out 2020 it seems opportune to reflect
on events this year, particularly the COVID pandemic, and how it
has affected each of us, our families and our community.
In particular, it is important to
think of the way forward, considering
the benefits we have
observed of virtual connection, but
being cognizant of the risks that
this poses to genuine community,
especially within the synagogue.
I remember arriving in Los Angeles
for a visit with my family, just two
days after Purim, the very day the
World Health Organisation declared
COVID was beyond an emergency
- it was a pandemic. The world
as we knew it changed immediately.
While there were runs on stores
for basic provisions, and tragic tussles
over toilet paper, there were also
positive responses. For instance, in
my neighbourhood back in Sydney,
people gathered emails and mobile
numbers from residents on the
street, so we could ensure that we
could look after each other. The selfish
survival instinct of ‘reptilian
brain’ did not destroy our altruistic,
communitarian and social nature.
The clergy team in Sydney immediately
considered ways of reaching
out in a virtual sense, to ensure that
our community remained connected
through lockdown and social distancing.
We initiated the Dunera
Project, a broad platform providing
curated and original content of culture,
education, spiritual engagement,
entertainment and more. We
began specific programs to connect
with individuals in our congregation
- recording and broadcasting daily
“clergy thoughts for the day”; created
the “clergy café” (now morphed into
my Tuesday afternoon Speakeasy
and Reverend Zwarenstein’s Friday
morning pre-Shabbat schmooze),
and transitioned our programs to
virtual platforms, including our
Shabbat Live service, the innovative
Shabbat Embrace of Rabbi Ninio
and Cantor Mordecai, and all kinds
of conversations about Israel, health,
and contemporary events such as the
Uluru Statement from the Heart.
All this virtual programming culminated
in our livestreamed services
for the Yamim Noraim, in which
we reached over 3,000 households
and 10,000 individuals at one time.
The connections we have provided
over this period of COVID have
had a far-reaching impact for community,
both positive and potentially
negative as well, and now is the
continued over...
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