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For the second year, Jews observe Yom Kippur in the midst of a pandemic

Jewish faith leaders say they have adjusted High Holy Day services, which they had not expected to do prior to the delta variant's summertime surge.

INDIANAPOLIS — The Jewish High Holy Days are a time of confession, solemn reverence, and remembrance. As the days ticked ever closer to the year 5782, there were also tinges of hope amongst the Indy Jewish community that some of these holiest days could finally be observed inside a synagogue after a grueling 18 months. 

At congregation Beth-El Zedeck in the Mapleton-Fall Creek Place neighborhood, preparations were already in place for hybrid Yom Kippur services, where a small number of worshipers would be allowed inside the synagogue. 

“The theme for our observance this year was going to be 'Back Home Again at Beth-El Zedeck,'” Rabbi Dennis Sasso said.

That was not to be. 

As the delta variant gripped the nation and strained ICU units across Indiana, Jewish faith leaders and congregations came to terms with the reality that the community would, once again, not come together as before for High Holy Day services. 

“We were not able to fulfill it in person. But we are still maintaining all the elements of the observance, the sacred nature of the observance,” Sasso said. 

RELATED: What is Yom Kippur? What you need to know about Judaism's holiest day of the year

Many local synagogues are offering a blend of virtual and in-person services. While High Holy Day and Yom Kippur services for Beth-El Zedeck will all be held virtually, the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation will be holding an outdoor Nefesh-style service in addition to virtual services. Beth-El Shalom in Carmel is holding virtual and in-person services as well. 

Not all local synagogues have dealt with how to handle Yom Kippur observances the same way. 

Rabbi Dovid Rossbaum, assistant rabbi at the Chabad Center for Jewish Life and co-founder of Young Jewish Professionals of Indianapolis, said while Carmel's Chabad Center for Jewish Life has put some safety precautions like social distancing and plexiglass in place, holding Yom Kippur services virtually would not be an option. 

The Chabad Center is one of some 1,300 centers across the country associated with the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, a branch of Hasidism. 

"I can only say for observant Jews - people that keep Jewish law - it's never a question of going online for the major Jewish holidays because, again, major Jewish holidays aren't online. I don't go into my car, I walk to synagogue. I don't turn on my computer. Any coffee that's being made, is not from igniting a fire. We have our hot water boiling from the night before. Like, we're intense about this in all respects. So it never was a consideration of having it online," Rossbaum said. 

That conversation, about how best to hold services while also upholding core tenets of Jewish faith has, Sasso said, been a topic of larger conversation amongst faith leaders throughout all branches of Judaism during this pandemic. 

"Rabbinic organizations locally and nationwide, as well as interfaith clergy organizations, have not only offered support for one another as colleagues, but also shared different ways in which we can approach this season," Sasso said.

That High Holy Day services had to be changed at all came as somewhat of a surprise to congregations, who thought they could partially count on vaccines to bring back a semblance of normalcy to their spiritual lives. 

Research shows Jews have the lowest levels of vaccine hesitancy of any religious group in the United States. A report released by the Public Religion Research Institute said 85% vaccinated or planning to get the shot — compared to 71% of all Americans. The Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Union for Reform Judaism and the Orthodox Union all released statements over the past year supporting vaccination. 

The decision to move High Holy Day services to virtual was difficult, Sasso said. But it also presented an opportunity to reiterate some Jewish core values during a time when they matters most. Sasso pointed specifically to the concept of pekuach nefesh, the sacred mitzvah, or commandment, of saving a life. 

RELATED: The Jewish High Holy Days: A look at Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur

"It means the infinite value of the human life that we nurture, that we care for, and that we seek to preserve as best as we can, given the circumstances that we face," Sasso said. "The maintenance of health, the preservation of life is a central concept in the Jewish tradition. It is a religious obligation. So we see anything that we can do aiming to enhance the physical lives and the spiritual lives of our people." 

As services prepare to commence at sundown on Wednesday, once again in the shadow and uncertainty of a grueling pandemic, enhancing that spiritual life for worshipers through whatever way they can is a chance for the whole community, virtual or not, to be reborn anew. 

"The Hebrew term for repentance is teshuva, and it means 'turning.' It means renewal. So this season is a time when we renew our connections, and think of other meaningful ways in which we can stay connected with one another, even though we don't have the ability to come together," Sasso said. "The human spirit is resilient, and we will find innovative ways to deal with pressing circumstances." 

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