This is a tough time of year, for anyone who's encountered loss in the last year, for anyone suffering from the weight of their own circumstances, for anyone who feels restricted in movement, stagnant or inert in some way. It's a tough time for people who have a tendency (or an overabundance of free time) to think about their lives, how they got to be where they are, and what they'd like to change in the months ahead.
The liturgy feeds the introspection, urging us to go deeper and deeper into ourselves, even as most of us do so in a crowded synagogue with many people who won't show up there again until next Yom Kippur. For some, this connection is organic and part of their calendar year. They show up as long as they are able.
But what if they're not able? What if circumstances - emotional or physical or financial - preclude their ability to seek out synagogue services for Yom Kippur? Some communities might organize other congregants to hold a mini-minyan in the home of someone who can't travel to a synagogue. But most don't.
And so it is to fill this void that technology can step in, helping people connect to the holiday and feel like a part of a community in a way that doesn't embarrass them, or bankrupt them, or cause them additional emotional or physical pain.
This week, as I've been helping JewishTVNetwork.com to promote their online Kol Nidre service, I've heard and read reactions ranging from enthusiasm to vehement opposition. There are discussions around such services, as to whether they're diluting or canceling the messages of the holiday, or whether they are permissible according to Conservative halakhah.
To be sure, some people would rather sit home alone in the dark and miss the Erev Yom Kippur experience entirely than watch a Kol Nidre service online, or who would prefer their Kol Nidre service be a little more old-school, and that's fine. But for people who aren't averse to using technology, and who will feel more connected to Jewish life, tradition and meaning by keeping their computers on for this broadcast, this service is poised to reinfuse Jewish lives - especially those beset by tragedy, physical limitation, or waning spirituality.
But I've had the privilege of reading some of the quotes from last year's viewers, which make it sound like this service acts - not as a replacement for, as some people fear, but - as a placeholder for the in-person community that they do desire.
“Rather than disconnecting me from others, this Kol Nidre online service makes me feel connected and helps me look forward to a time when I can move back into a (geographic) place where I have physical access to my community. (I'm even all dressed up in white, alone in my dorm room.)”
“This is wonderful for people who cannot make it to the synagogue for health, financial, distance or other reasons. It allows us to share in this wonderful service and feel renewed, restored and loved.”
“Thank you for your community's inspired idea to webcast, and wonderful generosity in sharing your service with us. Its rebroadcast throughout the day has provided a kind of sanctuary for the soul on this day of reflection.”
As CLAL's Rabbi Brad Hirschfield noted in his piece on Beliefnet's Windows and Doors, "this is not about encouraging people to leave a brick-and-mortar synagogue for their home computer. It's about creating options so that more people can connect in more ways, regardless of the circumstances of their lives. That seems pretty sacred to me."
Wherever life finds us on Yom Kippur, let us hope for a holiday of connection to self, spirit and community. G'mar hatimah tovah.
JewishTVNetwork.com's online Kol Nidre service will be broadcast live from Nashuva in Los Angeles at 6pm PST on Sunday, September 27. You can access this service on their High Holidays page: http://jewishtvnetwork.com/highHolidays. If you'd like to embed the video player on your site, contact me and I'll send you the code (esther.kustanowitz at gmail).
check this out... remember all those hashtags wishing everyone a happy new year? well we created a room that kept them all...
and there you can find 'da' Jews to network with
http://friendfeed.com/shanatova
yes I know the holiday is over... but you can see who is cool online by watching the hashtag.
Posted by: Noah David Simon | September 25, 2009 at 02:00 AM