Community, Caring, & Belonging
Going Behind the Zoom with BJ Colin Weil, Executive Director From prayer and learning to volunteering and social connections, each week, thousands of BJ members and friends connect with each other over Zoom. We have gotten a lot of questions from the BJ community about how we make this possible, and Executive Director Colin Weil has the answers! Q: What is BJ’s stance on using technology to enhance the prayer experience in this unprecedented time? A: Our community encompasses a variety of approaches to Jewish law and practice. While we have established standards of practice for when we gather together in community, we make every effort to respect each other’s personal choices. Since the start of the pandemic, BJ’s institutional practices have evolved in the face of the present unprecedented health crisis. While our spiritual leaders do not personally engage with technology on Shabbat and Jewish holidays, some of our
staff do, thus enabling the functioning of VirtuShul. During the High Holy Days, our livestream will remain the main conveyor of prayer services. Some of our programming will be enabled by Zoom, YouTube, or Facebook in order to provide members who use those technologies with the deep social connections that are a staple of the season.
“For the past six months, we have seen time and again that social and spiritual connection transcends physical distance.”
Q: How have the rabbis reconceptualized their homes to create a set-up that works to lead services online? A: Our spiritual leaders and musicians each dedicated a space in their homes to create what they refer to as a mikdash me’at (a small sanctuary). They sought to find a spot where they could feel physically and spiritually separate from the “work week” in order to connect with prayer, and with the community.
Q: Did they need to get special equipment, like microphones? A: We sent a technology package to each of our spiritual leaders’ and musicians’ homes to optimize sound and production quality. They use professional microphones, audio interfaces, and lighting. Q: The rabbis and Ari appear so close together on the livestream — is this safe? A: In fact, the service leaders are all stationed more than 20’ apart in our empty Sanctuary, with individual cameras capturing each of them. Our livestream system allows us to stitch together the individual camera feeds into a shared screen.
Above: The BJ sanctuary set up for Shabbat morning services. Right: Roly’s Zoom setup.
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