West London Synagogue

Why is a webcam Jewishly acceptable and important:

One of the central mitzvoth of Shabbat is ‘oneg’ to create joy. If people are able to join us for the celebration on Shabbat, even through the internet, it increases the joy for them and for us.
We are told to ‘remember’ Shabbat, how do people who can’t be at the service remember Shabbat. By joining us through the internet we provided a practical way for people to remember Shabbat
For some people coming in to the synagogue on Shabbat can be very difficult, challenging the idea of Shabbat as a day of rest
There is no need for there to be work involved in the webcasting of a service as it can be set up to run automatically, simply requiring a camera to be switched on at the beginning of the service.
Using the computer and internet for Jewish observance and prayer on Shabbat would appear to be another way of setting the day apart, using technology in a way in which we don’t the rest of the week.