Published: 1 October 2020
Last updated: 4 March 2024
THE RHYTHM OF THE Jewish calendar - the weekly practice of Shabbat and the intensity of the High Holy Days – suggests a wisdom that can help us experience the pandemic. It offers deep connections to help us feel moored, present, grateful, responsible and hopeful. “People lose track of time when the future is in question. The continuity from the past to the future is gone. Those feelings are called ‘temporal disintegration’, a direct result of trauma,” says Dr Alison Holman, from the Irvine School of Nursing in California.
This pain and lost sense of time is acutely true for those of us with an eye on the Jewish calendar. The lost ability to gather for the High Holy Days may further feelings of isolation and the disruption of time. We need to redirect that narrative by applying experiences and using technologies to open up Jewish collective practices.
As CEO of OneTable – a platform for young adults across the US to end their week with intention and create unique Shabbat dinners – I have been focused on designing ways for people to experience Shabbat and deepen connections to others, to Jewish wisdom, to themselves and to their sense of time. I have seen first-hand that the value of ritual is even higher during this pandemic.
Covid-19 has created a new form of exile. Our worlds have become smaller, focused on those with whom we live, care for, or connect with over technology. The time of communities held together by loose acquaintances has come to a standstill. How do Jewish community leaders connect their understanding of these emotional realities to frame the experience of the pandemic through Jewish wisdom? We start with understanding what our community members need, now.
When it became apparent that we’d be adhering to shelter-in-place for more than a few weeks, my team conducted two studies about how Jewish young adults were feeling and relating to Jewish practice: first, a survey of 1200 OneTable users, representing the 50,000 who’ve participated in a Shabbat dinner in the past 12 months, and second, a series of focus groups.
The studies captured the complexity of often bleak current events with optimism for the future. Young adults are clearly feeling the impact of the crisis, but they are also feeling extremely thankful for their own relative health and comfort. When presented with a list of words to describe how they were feeling, 68 per cent said that “lucky” describes them, even more than words such as “stressed” (64 per cent), “frustrated” (65 per cent), or “exhausted” (51 per cent).
Their answers can inform the design of meaningful and enriching High Holiday experiences. Three main areas of focus were identified:
- “We’ve lost a daily rhythm and are eager to find a new one.”
- “Our relationships have transformed and we need new strategies for connection.”
- “We’re reckoning with a changed world and don’t just want to go back to how it was.”
This rhythm, relationship and reckoning framework offers a unique opportunity to approach ancient rituals in a totally different way. By addressing the yearning for human connection, we can deepen our community’s experience of Jewish tradition and peoplehood.
Given the breadth of online Jewish offerings, it feels safer than ever to try out different styles of Jewish practice. Our data shows that interest in Jewish practice both online and - importantly - offline at home has increased. After all, we don’t even have to leave our homes and many organisations have waived fees.
A new look at the concept of affiliation is needed. In America, a staggering 40 per cent of Millennials are religiously unaffiliated, with numbers of Gen Z suggested to be even higher. Yet since Covid-19, 46 per cent have started a new religious practice. Meaning, values, connection have taken centre stage. This will be a moment of intense creativity alongside the tragic disruptions.
OneTable users reported a marked increase in Shabbat observance. Sixty-six per cent say they have celebrated Shabbat at least once or twice since the crisis began, and a full third are celebrating every week — nearly twice as many as before the pandemic.
Presumably, there will be unprecedented interest in making new meaning of the High Holy Days. What better time than the Days of Awe, the season of reflection, to support Jews who are taking this time for reckoning?
Young adults are assessing what’s important in life. Personal ambitions, relationships, and careers are all put in perspective by the pandemic. There’s a clarity in which values take centre stage. They’re also recognising where they need to change. New priorities are emerging.
What is the best way to address this? Focus on the platform rather than the program.
To that end, we invite you to Here For a newly designed platform for individuals, families, communities, and organisations to connect with one another during these High Holy Days. Here For helps us feel anchored by the Holy Days, grounding us not just in the calendar, but in the broader community. It offers a gathering space for and by the Jewish community, inviting collaboration, engagement, and participation, with few barriers.
Jewish communities are evolving and we've embraced a platform model to provide the foundation to design and join meaningful experiences. With a New Year comes change, an opportunity to embrace new habits and routines - holding the wisdom of tradition in one hand and the creativity of interpretation and personalised Jewish expression in the other.
