In a Post-Pandemic World, We’ll Need to Reimagine Jewish Spaces

It boggles the mind to think that thousands of Jewish buildings, from synagogues to museums, are still sitting empty, paralyzed by a tiny virus that has turned physical structures into risky infection zones.

Leaders of these Jewish spaces have scrambled to adapt, mostly through the remarkable saving grace of online technology. For any physical gathering, the magic words are “small” and “outdoor.” Orthodox communities, which don’t use technology on Shabbat, offer modest outdoor prayer services, and so on.

The underlying assumption behind all these efforts is that they’re temporary measures until we can get back to “normal.” This is human nature. When life throws us radical disruption that creates anxiety and uncertainty, our first instinct is to long for a return to what we’re used to.

For the Jewish communal world, however, this longing for the status quo would be a major mistake — or, I should say, a major missed opportunity.

Instead of hanging on as best we can until our spaces are safe again (whenever that will be), we can take advantage of this timeout from the ordinary to reimagine something extraordinary that would better serve the whole community.

We can take advantage of this timeout from the ordinary to reimagine something extraordinary that would better serve the whole community.

If we can agree, for example, that a primary objective for our community is to strengthen Jewish connection and Jewish identity, especially among the younger generation, what should we try to improve above all?

Most Jewish leaders would say Jewish education.

And yet, that’s not where most Jewish money goes. Instead, so much of our philanthropic dollars have been poured into elaborate buildings that have little to do with formal Jewish education. Now that physical structures have diminished in value during the pandemic, we have a unique chance to rethink the role of real estate in Jewish communal life.

The key question: How do we make the Jewish structures of the twenty first century work better for everyone?

We know, for example, that we will always need synagogues, which are crucial gathering places to build and nurture communities. But this cannot come at the expense of Jewish education, which, remember, is a primary pillar of our future.

In that spirit, one idea would be to create “hybrid” structures that could house both synagogues and Jewish day schools. In other words, a multi-use space where communities would gather on Shabbat and holidays, and Jewish students (K—12) would go to school during the week.

I can see your eyes rolling: “That’s not practical! Our buildings are not built for that!” To which I respond: Correct, but that’s why I’m writing this column— to challenge the status quo and lay out an aspirational vision for the future.

There’s hardly anything more aspirational than making Jewish education more affordable. Hybrid spaces offer significant savings and economies of scale. Yes, this may require some sacrifices, such as holding services in a school gymnasium. But if it means drastically reducing the cost of Jewish education and attracting thousands of new Jewish day school students across the nation, wouldn’t it be worth it?

Isn’t there also an intrinsic value with students and communities at large sharing a common space? And isn’t that sharing itself a statement of Jewish unity?

It’s true, there’s long been an obsession in the Jewish world to “have our own building.” I get that. Buildings define communities. They are a symbol of accomplishment and a source of pride. But in this new pandemic era when everyone’s been tightening their belts, fancy buildings may be a luxury some communities may no longer afford.

The upshot is that hybrid spaces open up new possibilities. A synagogue that is forced to sell its building can gather on Shabbat in a school gym and use the proceeds of the sale to subsidize tuition for Jewish families who can’t afford it.

The reimagining of Jewish spaces need not stop with shuls and schools. Cultural museums are important places of learning, while community centers are important places of connection. Why not create spaces that marry both? Connecting with others in a learning environment would stimulate both impulses.

Another communal imperative for Jewish spaces is more and better housing for the elderly and those with special needs. Instead of more stand-alone museums and synagogues, why can’t we take some of those resources and allocate them to more urgent housing needs?

Even kosher restaurants can play a role in building Jewish connection by hosting regular classes on Torah, Israel and Jewish culture.

We’re entering a new world. The pandemic has humbled us and forced us to be more creative, economical and strategic. Our limited resources will need to put a greater emphasis on the “software” of Judaism rather than the “hardware” of costly real estate. If we can create more multi-use Jewish spaces that better serve the whole community, the post-pandemic era may well trigger a Jewish renaissance.

For well over a century, the Jewish approach to physical spaces has been linear and predictable, dominated by determined leaders who attracted major donors to help build singular structures. Overnight it seems, COVID-19 has turned this model upside down and compelled us to re-examine our priorities.

Instead of bemoaning our fate, we can use this unprecedented moment to develop new, more flexible models that better fit our changing world. A good place to start is the creation of multi-use spaces that would increase communal engagement while making Jewish education more affordable.

If we build that, more will come.