by Aliza Arzt
Shabbat morning davenning at the Havurah has been an evolving experience as we learn how to navigate the pandemic world along with everyone else. Some of us have been able to once again experience davenning inside the Havurah. We are able to sing with others, read from the Torah scroll and have aliyot.
There are major differences, though: the windows are open with fans blasting the room air towards the outside. We are all wearing N95 or KN95 masks. We are skipping Kiddush for the moment. Still, it’s a pleasure to be able to leave the house on Saturday morning, to attend a service without seeing our own faces in little squares and to let go of the worry of muting and unmuting at the appropriate time.
Since we began davenning indoors, attendance has ranged from 4 to 9 people. We have read from the Torah every week. How is that possible? Don’t we need a minyan? We’ve had a minyan every week because of the presence of our Zoom partners. While there are differences within the community in terms of comfort level with being indoors with others, we all share the desire to participate in the service in whatever way works for us. The Zoom camera is mounted above the doorway and is inconspicuous. Though we don’t hear the voices of our Zoom partners singing with us, when it comes time to participate in discussing the d’var Torah, their voices come through our sound system loud and clear. We’re hybrid!
There are major differences, though: the windows are open with fans blasting the room air towards the outside. We are all wearing N95 or KN95 masks. We are skipping Kiddush for the moment. Still, it’s a pleasure to be able to leave the house on Saturday morning, to attend a service without seeing our own faces in little squares and to let go of the worry of muting and unmuting at the appropriate time.
Since we began davenning indoors, attendance has ranged from 4 to 9 people. We have read from the Torah every week. How is that possible? Don’t we need a minyan? We’ve had a minyan every week because of the presence of our Zoom partners. While there are differences within the community in terms of comfort level with being indoors with others, we all share the desire to participate in the service in whatever way works for us. The Zoom camera is mounted above the doorway and is inconspicuous. Though we don’t hear the voices of our Zoom partners singing with us, when it comes time to participate in discussing the d’var Torah, their voices come through our sound system loud and clear. We’re hybrid!
by Bev Schwartz
And from the Zoom side, we get to enjoy hearing the group singing from the Hav. It's nice to hear harmonies again. We can see an actual Torah service. I thought I would feel left out when we went hybrid, but I don't. We can participate in discussions, and at the end of davening, the folks at the Hav are encouraged to come by the fireplace where the computer is to say "Hi!" to us in Zoomland.
We're still working on sound. In order to enjoy hearing people sing together, Zoom original sound has to be enabled, which means we hear the fans which can sound like constant static. It's much better than when we started, and it will improve more as we come up with better technical solutions.
Being able to attend davening from home has been a gift for me. I love that the Hav is just a click away.
We're still working on sound. In order to enjoy hearing people sing together, Zoom original sound has to be enabled, which means we hear the fans which can sound like constant static. It's much better than when we started, and it will improve more as we come up with better technical solutions.
Being able to attend davening from home has been a gift for me. I love that the Hav is just a click away.
Aliza Arzt and Bev Schwartz are each long-time members of the Havurah.
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