Virtual Shavuot Features Learning & Laughs

Jun 1, 2020 | Article

Virtual Shavuot Features Learning & Laughs

The holiday celebration moved online to great success
On Thursday, May 28, JEWISHcolorado served as the hub for a community-wide celebration of Shavuot. With rabbis from local synagogues leading learning sessions on everything from Texting Torah to Shavuot sing-alongs, there was something for every one of the more than 500 people who took part.

The evening kicked off at 5:00 pm, with a Zoom session for young families, led by some of the community’s most popular educators and clergy and featuring cooking, crafts, singing, and a slew of other Shavuot-related activities. There was, as promised, something for every age, and teens who tuned in were treated to ten unique learning sessions designed specifically for them by local youth organization professionals, teachers, and rabbis.

“Timeless and Timely Torah” attracted over 170 participants, and panelists Elly Hutt, Adam Brock, and Richard Sacks spoke on living in the present moment, Earth-based Judaism, and grading a biblical God on a learning curve, respectively. Directly following the plenary session, Shavuot Zoomers were witness to a t’filla service conducted collaboratively by local clergy, who came together in prayer, intention, and hope for continued unity and healing.

The learning continued on until midnight, and while it was perhaps the most unusual Shavuot in recent memory, it was also one of the most inclusive, inspirational, and meaningful.