Congregants at one Jewish New Year service in Miami Beach on Wednesday night will not be told to turn off cell phones. Instead, Rabbi Amy Morrison will ask them to send text messages of their inner thoughts and transgressions for everyone to see on a screen behind her.
The idea comes from the not-for-profit organization called The Tribe, which works to build a Jewish community for people in their 20s and 30s.
“They are young, transient and are looking to connect, and that’s tough to do when you walk into a room full of strangers,” said Rebecca Dinar, director of The Tribe. “Texting allows this group to communicate anonymously.”
Last year was the first time people who attended the Rosh Hashanah service at the Jewish Museum of Florida were asked to text message their inner most thoughts and desires. This year pop music was added to the program as well, so the Black Eyed Peas will be played alongside traditional Jewish songs sung by Cantor Marcos Ashkenazi.
There will also be sounds of rain falling, “to help them connect with this idea of renewal,” Dinar said.
Hundreds of people are expected at the free service, which beings at 8 p.m.
“I think that for all Jews there’s this need or desire to connect regardless of your level of religiusity,” Dinar said. “They feel at the end of the evening that they have really connected with hundreds of people.”
To plan, The Tribe convened a group young people and talk to them about what they wanted to get out of the holidays. So, the idea was born to have people text their thoughts when the rabbi asks a question like: “What things do you want to let go of,” Dinar said.
People in the audience will contribute to the moment, and share, and once that happens people seek out more, Dinar said.
There are two services planned, one for Wednesday night and one on Friday Sept. 13, the night before Yom Kippur.