Kol Ami News

SALT LAKE CITY — Nearly nine in 10 adults in the United States say their lives have changed, at least a little, because of COVID-19 — and more than half say they’ve prayed for the end of the virus, according to a recent Pew Research Center study.

As the world loses a sense of normality, many have turned to faith for answers. KSL.com spoke with five local leaders from different religions to ask them about faith and the role it plays. Their answers have been edited for length:

How do you define faith and why do we need it?
Rabbi Samuel Spector, Congregation Kol Ami: “Faith is that belief and connection to something greater than ourselves, and also an interconnectedness between us and everything in this world. Faith is a wonderful thing in that it gives us inspiration, it gives us hope. And inspiration and hope and aspiration help us build character. I think that, with faith, we gain the recognition that tomorrow can be better than today.”

What advice would you give a young person who is struggling to grow their faith?
Rabbi Spector: “My people are called the people of Israel, which means the ones who wrestle with God or the ones who struggle with God. And when we struggle with something, it’s because we care about it. ... For us, when we struggle, we learn about ourselves, we learn about what our values are, and I think that we grow in our unique individual personalized relationships with our own faith.”

How can we keep our beliefs unswayed in a world full of so many opinions?
Rabbi Spector: “I do let those things sway me. I think that when I can learn about other faiths or learn about science that maybe challenges some of my preconceived notions, it allows my faith to evolve or change. Or if those other things are challenging my faith but my opinions don’t sway at all, it reinforces what I already believe and makes me stronger in that belief. For me, being unswayed doesn’t pose much of a threat. It provides a challenge that I welcome.”

How can we sustain our faith in turbulent times, and how can our faith sustain us?
Rabbi Spector: “I look back at the history of my people, the Jewish people, and see that we’ve been through incredibly turbulent times — many that were far more turbulent than what we’re in now. And yet, we continue to pass on these values, and we say, ‘This won’t stop us.’ But rather, when we see a world that’s broken, it’s incumbent upon us to use those values to repair the world.”

Is there a specific scripture you turn to in difficult times?
Rabbi Spector: “I look a lot at the story of our people coming out of Egypt in the book of Exodus. … How we were in a place that held us back. And despite our fears, despite the obstacles, we overcame. We overcame that place of bondage and found our freedom. And so with situations like the one that we have right now, we are in our Egypts. We are confined to our homes. We don’t have the freedoms that we had just a month ago. And despite that, with courage and faith, we’ll get through this.”​​​​​​​

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Congregation Kol Ami, one of the largest Jewish communities in the state, announced plans to suspend in-person Shabbat services and hold services using livestream technology. Other upcoming events have canceled. The message was signed by Rabbi Samuel L. Spector and co-presidents Teresa Bruce and Jim Isaacson.

“Ultimately, our most important Jewish value is keeping our community safe while still trying to provide for their spiritual needs,” the letter reads. “Although these steps are requiring us to take unconventional matters, let us be reminded of the Talmudic teachings that ‘we shall live by (the commandments), and not die by them’ (B. Talmud Yoma 85b) and ‘(The rules against) endangering oneself are more stringent than (those against breaking a) commandment’ (BT Hullin 10a). We thank you for your understanding and for doing your part to ensure our community’s safety.”

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