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‘Lockdown’ Havdalah marks its 200th service

The online ceremony attracts participants from Middlesex to India

February 9, 2024 13:28
The Ark Synagogue in Pinner, Middlessex, has just celebrated its 200th Zoom Havdalah (Photo: Ruth Colin)
The Ark Synagogue in Pinner, Middlesex, has just celebrated its 200th Zoom Havdalah (Photo: Ruth Colin)

ByGaby Wine, Gaby Wine

2 min read

A Zoom Havdalah, which was launched just as the country went into lockdown, has just celebrated its 200th service.

The Ark Synagogue, formerly called Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue, started a Zoom Havdalah on the first Saturday of lockdown in March 2020, which, since then, has grown to attract participants from Middlesex to Tamil Nadu in India.

The synagogue’s Rabbi Aaron Goldstein said: “This occasion is a weekly source of comfort, care and community that has sustained so many of us, not only during the pandemic but long after it ended.”

He said that due to the range of time-zones, the start time used to shift around, but for ease, they now always hold the service at 5pm GMT, regardless of the time Shabbat strictly ends.