Streaming

Shalom:
I have been going to shul virtually for several months now. My blood counts have been low and I shouldn’t get a germ, so I sit in my den with my iPad and watch services from Beth El and other conservative shuls that also stream. It’s not bad at all. But is it good?

Synagogue streaming didn’t happen overnight – there are halachic issues that required attention – but the technology is a godsend to homebound folk. Not only for services but it also makes it possible for funerals to be accessible to relatives and friends who can’t manage a quick fly-in for the service.

About a year ago the Times published an opinion piece by author Laura Turner entitled “Internet Church Isn’t Really Church.” I found her arguments persuasive. Turner recognizes the stresses of making time for services and showing up anywhere near on time, especially if there are kids to dress. “It would be a lot easier not to go to church.” And people are figuring that out. Some churches already report online attendance surpassing those who show up. Consuming church the way we consume the news is more convenient, and more in line with our lifestyles than the traditional Sunday (or Saturday) visit.

But Turner is not a fan, except of course where people simply cannot physically attend. Her objections (which work for me too)? Live streaming presumes that God is primarily present to us one on one, as individuals, rather than as a community of believers. That presumption may echo the ethos of our time but the concept of a quorum (minyan) argues otherwise. Further, getting religion in our living room, on our phone, is not the best experience that religion can offer. It’s not only that we miss the physical space and the power of being part of a congregation in prayer. As Turner puts it, “In an era when everything from dates to grocery delivery can be scheduled and be near instant, church attendance shouldn’t be one more thing to get from an app. We can be members of a body best when we are together – we can mourn when we observe and wipe away tears, just as we can rejoice when we can share smiles and have face-to-face conversations.

I have my own issues with streaming. Two will suffice for now. The first is foreshadowed above. No community is created when you aren’t sitting next to anybody but yourself or sharing some tuna and politics at the kiddush. Without actual relationships, nobody might know to visit you if you are sick, or help make up a shivah minyan if you need one. And there are just too many distractions at home. We are experts at multi-tasking, I am among the premier expressions of that, and it’s easy to clean a few dishes or glance at the newspaper or look at the mail pile. In my experience – and this is another blogpost – the main spiritual challenge in davvening is to not be distracted, and shul gives us a much better chance to achieve that.

My bottom line: streaming of services and funerals is a real benefit to people who could not be present otherwise. For those who can be present, better they should be in shul or church. Synagogues and churches which could but do not stream probably  support the latter viewpoint, but shouldn’t they offer the option?  Regardless,  I can’t wait to be present myself. Best, Bill Rudolph