Regina synagogue holds first in-person service since start of pandemic

It wasn’t the busiest day in the world for Beth Jacob Synagogue in Regina, but they did open their doors for a Shabat service for the first time in over two months on Saturday.

It ran a mixed service, with people sitting in the sanctuary and tuning in remotely. It’s been doing Zoom call services since the pandemic hit, and many members of the congregation chose to continue doing so for the time being.

Only three people showed up to worship in-person, but Rabbi Jeremy Parnes was just glad to take the step towards getting back to normal.

“We say ‘Panim el Panim,’ which means ‘face-to-face.’ I guess you could argue that on Zoom, we’re face-to-face, but we’re not. As good as it is, it’s not the same as being together in community. But, we make do until things change,” he said.

“Whether people come or not just yet, I think it’s going to be a slow process of people feeling comfortable, regardless of that, the fact that we can (attend in person) is huge. It’s a big difference, and a very positive difference I think,” he explained.

One of the restrictions on the reopening of places of worship is a capacity limit. A maximum of 150 people or one third of the building’s capacity, whichever comes first, are allowed to attend. However, as part of a smaller community, Parnes doesn’t see that as much of an issue.

There have been some changes made to the traditional ceremonies.

Bread eaten as part of a prayer was individually wrapped. Attendees could only sit in every second pew to promote physical distancing.

For Doreen Gartner, one change was particularly disappointing.

“I wish we could still take out the Torah scrolls, but that’s not possible at this time, because we would have to be right beside each other,” she said.

Even with the unfortunate change, she’s also happy to attend in-person.

“It’s nice to have the doors open again and be able to be here.”