Preparing for the Tishrei holidays: The prayers are expected to take place outside the synagogues • Among the preparations: Training cantors and blowing additional shofar • "The great challenge - on Yom Kippur"

• Praying outside // Photo: Yossi Zeliger

More than two million Israelis who attend prayers in synagogues during the Tishrei holidays may find themselves in front of a broken trough this year. In view of the increase in morbidity, there is a high probability that the coming holidays we will celebrate at home, and the prayers will be done in the courtyards of the houses.

Photo: Yoni Rickner

The World Synagogue Association and the Association of Rabbis of the Communities have recently been working with various municipalities around the country, with the aim of establishing huge shelters and tents that many worshipers can enter during the holidays, while maintaining the rules of social distance. Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu, chairman of the Association of Congregational Rabbis, says that already now they have appealed to the municipalities to place large tents and shelters for the benefit of the worshipers in order to prepare the ways of prayer.

The Tzohar organization will produce tens of thousands of special booklets this year, including a prayer of all vows and a closing, which will serve as cycles for non-religious worshipers who will join the courtyards. "In preparation for the holidays, we will hold preparation days for Gabay Minyanim Hatzerot to allow everyone who cannot come to the synagogues to join in these prayers - religious and non-religious alike," explains Rabbi Satyu. The various organizations are working to formulate a directive to shorten the prayers, with the understanding that the worshipers cannot sit or stand for four or five hours in the heat that may be on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. 

Shorter prayers

"It is possible that in the current reality fewer people will come to prayers," notes the director of the Synagogue Association, Rabbi Shmuel Slotki.

"The biggest challenge will be on Yom Kippur, because it is usually a hot day. Praying outside will make the fast very difficult, so prayers will be earlier in it or shortened, as it will be very difficult to hold long fasting prayers under the scorching sun. It will be challenging and sometimes even dangerous." , Notes the chairman of the Tzohar Rabbinical Association, Rabbi Satyu.

One of the things at stake is how to train public messengers to lead the prayers as well as blow the shofar for the courtyards. 

In addition, the Synagogue Association, together with the National Service Girls, developed a dedicated application in the "Carmel 6,000" project, known as "8200 of the National Service", which will match worshipers who want to hear the blowing of the shofar and professional blowers in their area. 

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Hasidim who used to come to Uman in Ukraine on Rosh Hashanah and spend the holiday marking the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslav, will be forced to stay in their homes this year. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has officially ruled that masses will not be allowed to enter the city, in part due to the surge in corona morbidity in Israel.