The Center of the Jewish Community

This week I was interviewed live on i24 to promote last night’s incredible Soul Summit. The interviewer asked me to comment on a survey that had just come out saying that few Israelis were planning on attending synagogue services this year, and that means a weaker connection to Judaism.

I respectfully corrected him and pointed out that the center of the Jewish community has never been the synagogue; it has always been the home.

And this foundation value is more important this year than ever before, because for most of us, right now, the synagogue is not an option. My husband, who is a rabbi, has not been part of a communal prayer minyan in six months. Yet he shared with me the other day that although communal prayer is powerful, he has found a special, deep, and personal connection during these times through his private and individual prayers.

I hope and pray that when we do finally return to our houses of worship, we will come back with the power of how we connected individually. And if that shared personal power can be part of a new collective, look out! We may have the potential to shake the Heavens.