Purim is often described as a holiday of opposites, when up is down and down is up. Almost exactly five years ago, our world was turned upside down by COVID-19. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared a pandemic.
Within days, life throughout North America shut down. At a time of heightened anxiety when people most needed Jewish community, it was suddenly unavailable.
Cyd Weissman, Reconstructing Judaism’s vice president for engagement and innovation, immediately thought: We’ve got to reach out to our community with support.
Her mind raced back to the cardboard Shabbat boxes she sent home to families when she was an educational director in suburban Philadelphia.
Weissman wondered if Reconstructing Judaism could create a virtual version of those boxes. The Virtual Shabbat Box was born, with subscribers receiving their first email on March 13, 2020—just two days after the pandemic declaration.
This week, the Virtual Shabbat Box celebrated its fifth birthday.
“While this Virtual Shabbat Box can’t replace being with Jewish community in person on Shabbat, we do hope it helps you experience the joys and sensations of Shabbat and provides you a measure of spiritual sustenance,” the first Virtual Shabbat Box read.
That first edition focused on the five senses, including resources like a video featuring a blessing for hand washing. Over the past five years, the look and content have evolved to offer videos, podcasts, articles, poems and prayers that connect people to Jewish wisdom, bolster resilience and reflect our rapidly changing world. More than 25,000 people receive the box each week. The box has generated more than 750,000 clicks and more than one million opens.
“Jewish tradition encourages people to make their homes a mikdash me’at, a small sanctuary,” said Weissman. “Every week, we continue to celebrate the resources generated from network and support people and communities in their Jewish journeys.”
