It’s like the grand final’s been called off – that’s how one rabbi termed Melbourne’s Jewish community being unable to attend synagogues for the religion’s High Holy Days this year.
And also thanks to COVID-19 restrictions, the get-togethers over food to mark Jewish New Year, or Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, will be subdued affairs, confined to nuclear families.
Rabbi Gersh Lazarow from one of Melbourne’s biggest synagogues, Temple Beth Israel in St Kilda, said it was the first time in the synagogue’s 90-year history that the building, which can hold over 2000 people, will be closed for Rosh Hashanah.
However, the Reform synagogue will live stream services on Friday night and Saturday on its website www.yachad.org.au, Yachad meaning “together”.
Rabbi Lazarow said usually there would be 1800 people at Saturday morning services, a choir of 30 people and six or seven people leading the main service.
This year will be “more bespoke” with clergy leading services from their homes, congregants watching online and only a pianist and four singers in the synagogue.
Synagogues say the pandemic has affected their finances, with fewer congregants paying annual memberships, and with no rent or venue hire income.
Read the article by Carolyn Webb and Hannah Schauder in the Brisbane Times.