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Rachell Krell feels connected to Judaism and to God. But she hasnât been to services in years and isnât part of a synagogue.
âI would love to eventually go back to services if I found a temple that was a good fit for me,â she said.
Krell, a senior at Northern Arizona University, said the focus of the synagogues she has attended has been about âkeeping the temple going,â instead of âwhat is the value of this place?â
Krell is among the half of American Jews who attend religious services a few times a year or less, according to a 2020 survey by the Pew Research Center published in May.
Bânai mitzvah ceremonies have transformed during the COVID-19 pandemic from crowded affairs to limited gatherings of friends and family. Over the past year people have become used to watching a Haftorah reading via Zoom instead of inside a sanctuary.
At first glance, that may seem like a big downgrade, but Greater Phoenixâs rabbis donât view it that way. A few of them shared some of the past yearâs ceremonies that will stick in their memories forever.
Downtown Phoenix Chabad Rabbi Dover Dechter will always remember a bar mitzvah that he witnessed right at the beginning of COVID.