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Aish Offering High Holiday Pop-Up Shuls

To create your own Pop Up Shul, log onto the site and choose from four styles of services with a downloadable machzor for each one.
[additional-authors]
September 8, 2020

As the coronavirus pandemic stretched into the summer and the possibility of in-person High Holy Days services looked less and less likely, Aish — the Jewish educational and community organization — could “see [the] way the winds were blowing,” Aish Executive Director Rabbi Aryeh Markman told the Journal. “We needed a Plan B,” he said. 

Plan B turned out to be Aish’s “Pop Up Shul.”

And while Aish’s pop-up shuls share their name with the “pop-up” trend in restaurants and retail stores, that literally “pop up” for a short period of time in neighborhoods, they also involve a “do-you-own-prep” component, similar to the way meal plan delivery programs work.

As Aish notes on its website, “Since we can’t all be together in shul during the COVID-19 pandemic, our Pop Up Shul gives you the tools you need to be the leader. You will be able to guide High Holiday services safely; hosted in your own backyard.”

To create your own Pop Up Shul, you simply log onto the site, where you can then choose from four styles of services with a downloadable machzor for each one: The Traditional Service (Ashkenazi) is closest to what you’d experience if you could still attend a brick-and-mortar synagogue, complete with familiar songs and prayers in English and Hebrew. 

The Yogi Service is meditative and experiential, which, according to Markman, makes you feel as if you’re celebrating Rosh Hashanah in India. 

The Family Service is designed for those with young children, and The Millennial Service for high schoolers and college-age students, offers topics for discussion and, Markman promised, tools designed to engage even the most recalcitrant teen. 

“We want this to be a user-friendly experience,” Markman said, “one that even those with little or no background can lead.” All the services last for approximately one hour, and can be modified to fit your family. 

“You have the home-field advantage,” he added. “If you can’t be at shul, you can be the rabbi. Your home is your synagogue.” 

Leading up to the High Holy Days, anyone can register for a series of Zoom prep classes with Aish rabbis from across the country. There’s a crash course on Rosh Hashanah prayers and songs, a challah bake, and tutorials on how to lead each of the Pop Up Shul’s services, as well as short videos that delve deeper into the meaning of specific prayers and songs. 

“We want this to be a user-friendly experience — one that even those with little or no background can lead. You have the home-field advantage. If you can’t be at shul, you can be the rabbi. Your home is your synagogue.” — Rabbi Aryeh Markman 

Rabbi Simcha Tolwin of Aish HaTorah Detroit will host the Zoom calls on how to lead each of the four services. Tolwin told the Journal he had been contemplating the idea of a pop-up shul for some time. He purchased the domain name PopUpShul.com about 10 years ago, and said the original concept was that someone would call, and Aish would bring a shul to that person’s neighborhood, perform the service, then pack up and head to its next stop. 

The idea remained just that — an idea — until the COVID-19 pandemic hit and gathering in public was no longer possible. That’s when Tolwin realized that Pop Up Shul was tailor-made for these circumstances. 

“People want to pray in a service, but they also want to pray safely,” he said, “and Pop Up Shul can give people the tools to create something that is meaningful to you and your family.”

Because these are not formal services, it is not necessary to have a minyan, Tolwin added. Rather, he explained, “We think of them as ‘prayer experiences.’ Many people, particularly millennials, are looking for meaning more than a building.” For them, he said, “the idea of ‘pray your own way’ or create your own prayer experience is appealing.” 

To date, approximately 90 families have signed up on the website, but Tolwin said he expects more signups as Rosh Hashanah draws near. 

In Los Angeles, Markman said Aish is promoting the program by putting up campaign-style lawn signs around the county. Pop Up Shul, he said, fits perfectly into Aish’s core belief that “we meet each Jew where they’re at.” He sees Aish’s mission as showing those who have stopped going to services or never went to services “why Judaism is important,” and that Pop Up Shul makes it easy for any family to try. 

He added that he’s proud of what Aish has managed to put together on a tight deadline. However, he noted, he’s not surprised they have been able to achieve it, because “Jews can pull off anything.” 

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