www.reformjudaism.org.uk

Community Without Boundaries

Thursday, 02 September 2010

As part of its 50th Anniversary celebrations, Finchley Reform Synagogue is launching the first part of its "Community without boundaries" project.  After a successful trial over the High Holy Day period last year, FRS is now going to be streaming live over the internet all of its Shabbat, festival and High Holy Day services, thanks to a grant from the Joint Jewish Burial Society and a donation from a member.

The live stream will be used by members unable to attend synagogue for health reasons, as well as Jews living around the country without easy access to a community.

However the highest concentration of users will be in a small town in northern Belarus called Polotsk. FRS is twinned with a Belarussian community who are going to use the stream to learn the liturgy and tunes until their members can slowly take over leading minyanim for themselves. Alexander Lofik, Chair of the Polotsk community says, "At the beginning we will watch Shacharit communally on a big screen and then study the Torah reading ourselves in Russian when the rabbi in England gives her sermon. As we become more familiar with the service we will hope to lead it ourselves all the way through."

Rabbi Miriam Berger of Finchley Reform says: "We know that people learn to participate in services by attending them yet the community in Polotsk don’t have the luxury of experienced service leaders to guide their community. Modern technology is helping us to let the Jews of Polotsk experience our services so that they can then create their own. We are also helping to teach their bnei mitzvah students by Skype."

The service streaming is simply phase one of how the shul will use technology differently to reach out to its existing members and new members. A new website, which will go live in November, will allow members to ask for and offer help to each other on a volunteers’ message board and will allow families to continue their Sunday morning Hebrew learning on-line throughout the week.

To access the stream all that is needed is a personal computer and a broadband connection. For more details on how to start the secure stream please contact Finchley Reform Synagogue’s office.