OU delves out grants to NA synagogues to get congregants back to prayer

Synagogues chosen for the grants include 35 institutions across the United States and one situated in a Canadian province - from New York to Baltimore to LA and back, up and over to Ottawa.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The poor man’s Passover prayer (photo credit: TOA HEFTIBA/UNSPLASH)
The poor man’s Passover prayer
(photo credit: TOA HEFTIBA/UNSPLASH)
The Orthodox Union (OU) awarded grants totaling $100,000 to 35 synagogues across North America with the intention to bring communities back to communal prayer as more people vaccinate against COVID-19.
“The COVID-19 pandemic reminded us all that the shul experience creates a sense of community that is irreplicable,” said OU President Moishe Bane. “Shul leaders across the country are discovering new ways to bring back our communities stronger than ever – our families, our singles, our seniors and our youth – and we are thrilled to be able to partner with them on this endeavor.”
Synagogues chosen for the grants include 35 institutions across the US and one situated in a Canadian province – from New York to Baltimore to LA and back, up and over to Ottawa.
OU chose these institutions out of a pool of 300 submissions, submitted from 34 states across the country, representing synagogues large and small.
"The 35 winners chosen by the OU Grant Committee represented both out-of-the-box thinking and opportunities that are more likely to rebuild and reaffirm the value of synagogue and community and therefore encourage congregants to return for the long term," OU said in a statement.
The submissions were uploaded into a public archive that includes other ideas from previous grant periods, available for any synagogue to access and benefit from the innovation.
“In every Jewish community the shul is meant to be central to communal infrastructure and experience,” said OU Executive Vice President Rabbi Moshe Hauer. “The COVID reset is enabling shuls to rethink and enhance that role, identifying ways to strengthen the communal bond and the connection of all community members to Torah and Jewish life. Throughout this grant-making process, it has been inspiring to see the energies and thought being brought to bear on this issue.”
“In going through all of the submissions, it became abundantly clear that shuls are seizing the opportunity to re-engage our community in the essential experience that shul offers,” said OU Synagogue Initiatives Director Rabbi Adir Posy. “We’ve collected so many ideas and put together a database so that shuls of all sizes and from all over the world can have access to this great thinking and utilize it for their own shuls.”
“While we wish we could fund many more shuls as they implement their plans to bring people back our hope is that this repository of ideas can serve as a launching pad for others,” added Posy.


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