Jewish Liturgy During the Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Vignettes from Boston Suburbs

In March 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, American synagogues locked their doors. This required emergency planning for Passover observances, and then gradually less panicked planning for subsequent liturgies. Based primarily on the experiences of three Boston-area synagogues, Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox, and interviews with their rabbis, this article compares the liturgical responses of Jews in these three movements, offering explanations for their different approaches. It also briefly traces, where appropriate, their resumption of services over the summer and their plans for the fall holy days.