Religious Occupation, Israel 2020–2021 COVID-19 Orthodox Jewish Israeli Prayer Solutions and the Religious–Secular Dispute Over Public Space

Abstract

Social distancing, the limitations on gathering within closed buildings, and the complications of communal singing—all put together—made the COVID-19 pandemic a great challenge for maintaining Jewish ritual. Orthodox Jews pray three times a day. Men—and some say women—are required to complete these three prayers each day together with a group of at least ten men. Traditionally, these prayers occur within the sacred space of the synagogue. So, what happens to Jewish prayer when COVID-19 restrictions set in? This collapse between the urban and sacred has complex spiritual, but also sociological, ramifications. In a country all but obsessed with the intra-religious rift between secular and religious Judaism, the dispute over prayer in public spaces is an ongoing battle of not only geography, but of identity. This article explores the musical and social implications of Jewish prayer solutions that emerged throughout Israeli society during the 2020–2021 COVID-19 pandemic