Webcam
Services are available through StreamSpot, Zoom and Facebook. Please contact the office for details about any specific event.
A Little History
For several years, congregants have expressed interest in being able to participate in services – to feel connected to and part of our community – when they are not able physically to be at the synagogue. Some are house-bound due to a disability or illness, some are in a hospital or nursing facility, some choose to listen and watch from their homes, and some are traveling, out of town or out of the country.
At the Religious Committee, we wanted to find a way to meet the needs of these congregants. Our goal was supported by Rabbi Gordon Freeman; then-President Craig Judson obtained a financial commitment from Shelley Lavigne z”l to get the project started. (At the time, she was house-bound for medical reasons.) Beginning in 1999, we experimented with several approaches, but the technology – of making harmonious all the moving parts – was immature, and no approach was both satisfactory and economical.
The technologies have moved forward quickly; a number of the systems that we had been using for more than ten years are now discontinued, or no longer supported, or incapable of serving our needs economically. Beginning in early 2017, we began to upgrade all aspects of the system. We moved from Alpha to Beta in Fall 2017; although we are still fine-tuning, we went production live in Spring 2018, and handed responsibility to the CBS Administration & IT Department for ongoing operations. In addition to handing-over responsibility, we also developed a business case on a five year operational cycle. The revised program has been graciously funded by Deborah and Michael Bloom, Susan and Howard Geifman, Toby and Bill Gottfried, David Rosnow, Cindy Fassler and Marty Shmagin, Rabbi Stein, and Judy and Mark Yudof.
The Revised Program
There is currently no charge to use the streaming service. The services are available only through the B’nai Shalom website. We continue to raise funds for this effort and kindly direct those interested in contributing to contact Michael Bloom.
High Holy Days 2017 and 2018
In addition to this live cam, in 2017, Rabbi Dan Stein initiated a program in which congregants who were unable to be at the synagogue during High Holy Days were matched-up-with a volunteer who would bring a Mahzor and computer or tablet, connect to the streaming service, and stay with the individual during the course of the services. This effort is being continued at least through High Holy Days 2018. We are also looking for teens (interns) who want to get some hands-on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) experience and form the core of an ongoing maintenance and operations team.
What is staying the same
Over the years, some of the streaming service’s features features have not changed:
- Continuous, unattended operation,
- Not turned on or off during Shabbat or Biblical Holy Days,
- Audio (sound) portion of the broadcast is usually available only when services are underway, and
- No charge to view the broadcast.
What is changing
However, other features have changed from the earlier versions, some of them dramatically. We believe that these changes will benefit all users and please all congregants:
- HDTV video quality,
- Automatic controls to point the camera at specific areas of the sanctuary,
- Automatic controls to start and stop a stream based on a schedule,
- Ability to save and archive any broadcast stream,
- Ability to view from smartphones (iOS, Android, Unix, or Windows), tablets (iOS, Android, Unix, or Windows), and desktop computers (OSX, Windows, or Unix), and
- Stable funding that is not dependent on the Congregation’s budget.
Your Feedback
This renovation project was produced by Michael Bloom, Mike Korenstein, David Rosnow, and Rabbi Dan Stein.
At the present time, broadcasts of religious services attract, on average, more than 200 viewers for each service. Our plan is to continue to broadcast (stream) religious services over the internet at no charge. In the future, we expect that programs of community interest, such as lectures, entertainment, discussion of timely issues, and graduations (some free and some paid) will be available on the webcam stream. We welcome you to view and participate in the programs that are offered. If you have concerns, comments, or wish to make a financial contribution at any time, please contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).