COVID-19 and Competing Synagogues

When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit, many people feared that some churches would not survive the pandemic.  (See this earlier blog post here if you are interested.)  Several months into the pandemic, those same fears persist.

This article at the Religion News Service, written by a Rabbi in Los Angeles, discusses how the challenges of the pandemic will differ across Jewish synagogues.  For example, some larger synagogues have the resources to create nice online services, thereby keeping the congregation going, while smaller synagogues do not have those resources.  Will the smaller congregations be able to compete in a world that sees a permanent shift to online offerings?  Or will they be driven out of the religious marketplace?

The author also thinks that synagogue life will be forever changed, although he is not specific about what those changes will be.  But it is a good question to consider:  just how will synagogues (and congregations in other religious traditions) be permanently affected in their operations by COVID-19?  Will many of them transition to more online religious content and activities?  And will people view their own religious choices differently?