Rabbi Vanessa Ochs, “A Living Tradition: Jewish Ritual Responses to COVID and October 7th”

It seems as if it happened “overnight,” when during the COVID quarantine, Jewish practices were mostly shifted to virtual platforms or were held in environments providing for social distance. Likewise, only days after October 7, 2023, new Jewish practices emerged to mark concern for the hostages, including installing “empty Shabbat tables” worldwide and wearing “Bring them Home-Now!” dog tags.

Ochs, an ethnographer of Jewish practice who focuses on material culture and takes a lived-religion approach, will be discussing what these newest Jewish ritual practices have in common, including spontaneity, resilience, and collectivity.

Rabbi Vanessa Ochs, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita in the UVA Department of Religious Studies and Jewish Studies Program. In 2023–2024, she was the Rabbi Sally Priesand Visiting Professor at the HUC/JIR Rabbinical Schools. Her books include The Passover Haggadah: A Biography (Princeton University Press) and Inventing Jewish Ritual (JPS).