Dear Jacksonville Jewish Center Family and Friends,
 
Because of the Coronavirus pandemic we have transitioned our congregation from a physical place of meeting to a virtual one. Morning and evening we offer virtual services, as well as online opportunities for Torah study, spiritual solace, and celebrations of family life. We are committed to doing so for the duration of the current health crisis.
 
In the process of making ours a virtual community in such a short time, we are still learning about what types of videoconferencing work well for which types of gatherings, as well as the digital platforms that are adaptable to use on Shabbat and those that are not. We had hoped we might be able to livestream a Shabbat morning worship experience this week, but there is a significant backlog in orders of the necessary equipment, as countless others attempt to do the very same thing as we are. While there are other platforms for videoconferencing, such as the ones we presently use during the week, they are not suitable for Shabbat because they require a level of computer interaction incompatible with the letter and spirit of Jewish law.

Until we are able to install the necessary technology for live streaming, Hazzan Holzer will continue to lead an abbreviated  Kabbalat Shabbat  service on Friday afternoons at 6 PM via Zoom as well as a musical  Havdalah  service to bid farewell to Shabbat on Saturday evenings (time will vary from week to week). These online worship experiences have attracted somewhere around 150+ participants each. They are joyful ways for us to welcome and say farewell to Shabbat together as a community, even though we must remain apart. If you haven’t tuned in yet, we urge you to join us online – you’ll be glad you did! 
 
In addition, our clergy team will record a pre-Shabbat video with music and material on the weekly Torah portion to enhance your preparation for Shabbat. It will be sent to you on Friday afternoon, and offered as a link following Hazzan’s six o’clock  Kabbalat Shabbat  service.
 
As we make our way through the topsy-turvy world in which we’re living right now, we’ll continue to reach out to you, even as we invite the members of the Center family to be in touch with us.
 
THE JACKSONVILLE JEWISH CENTER CLERGY TEAM
 
Rabbi Jonathan Lubliner (904) 710-9395
Rabbi Shira Rosenblum (201) 463-2825
Hazzan Jesse Holzer (646) 319-2345