Downloadable Backgrounds for Zoom Services
These are photographs of Congregation Sinai’s sanctuary. Feel free to download and use as your virtual Zoom background when you attend online services. You can choose to daven in your regular section, stand in front of the ark (open or closed), or even sit in Rabbi Berkenwald’s regular spot - he won’t mind.
Just right click on your chosen image, select “Download Linked File,” and upload it into your Zoom profile. For detailed instructions on how to do this, click here.
For detailed instructions on how to use Zoom to join Sinai’s online services, click here.
How to Use Zoom
Where do I download the latest version of Zoom?
Before joining a Zoom meeting on a computer, you can download the Zoom app from the Zoom Download Center. Click here to start the automatic download of the Zoom Application. Your download should automatically start within seconds.
If you do not have the Zoom app on your phone or tablet, visit the App Store and download the app called ZOOM Cloud Meetings.
Do I need an account to use Zoom?
A Zoom account is not required if you are strictly joining Zoom Meetings as a participant. You can join as a participant without creating an account. A Zoom account is only required if you need to create your own meetings and send invitations to participants.
How to Join a Zoom Meeting
Join a meeting with a link: click the link provided on the Sinai calendar, in the Voice, or in another email, and you will be taken to a window which will prompt you to click on a box that says “join with Zoom.” This will cause the Zoom application to launch on your computer. If you do not already have Zoom installed on your computer, you will be given the option to download in this window. Enter the password when prompted.
Join a meeting from the Zoom application: Launch Zoom, enter the “Meeting Id” number, the password, and your personal name.
Join a meeting by phone: On a telephone, dial (669) 900-9128. At the prompt, enter the Zoom meeting ID provided by the facilitator of the meeting and press #. When prompted enter the numeric password. For a full list of dial-in numbers, including international numbers, refer to Zoom's list of dial-in numbers.
Note: If you are joining via computer for video and phone for audio, enter your participant ID as shown in the Zoom application on your computer when prompted. Otherwise press # to join the meeting.
Do I need a password to join a Zoom meeting?
For security purposes, Congregation Sinai is using a password for many Zoom meetings. The passwords are included in email communications to our members, or can be requested by filling out this online form.
Note: The password for meetings on a computer, tablet, or smartphone is alphanumeric (letters and numbers). If you are joining by telephone, the password is numeric (numbers only).
Video Preview
When you are joining a Zoom meeting, you will see a video preview pop up that prompts you to determine whether you would like to join the meeting with your video enabled “join with video,” or with your video disabled “join without video.” Simply select the option to join into the meeting using the preference you have selected.
Would like more information? Here are some YouTube videos that will help!
Automating Zoom Launch on Shabbat
For someone who would prefer to minimize or eliminate the need to directly manipulate technology, a technical solution is required. The Committee on Jewish Laws and Standards passed a teshuvah (legal decision) called “Streaming Services on Shabbat and Yom Tov” addressing halakhic issues around holding religious services on the Sabbath and holidays. Appendix III provides guidance for automatically signing into and out of a Zoom meeting. Please keep in mind that the technology is constantly changing, so this and/or other solutions may not work in the future.
A. Turn off automatic sleep mode, so that you don’t have to wake it up or re-enter password.
1. Make sure it is plugged into power.
2. For iPhone/iPad, in settings, under display and brightness, set auto-lock to never.
3. For PC see https://www.help.k12.com/s/article/How-to-Disable-a-Screensaver
4. For Mac, in Control Panel, under “Desktop and Screen Saver,” change “Start After” to "Never."
B. It is possible to set a Windows or MacOS computer to automatically log on to a website or a zoom call at a specific time. One solution is as follows:
1. Make sure you are using the Chrome browser.
2. Download a Chrome Extension called “Tab Schedule” (you will be warned as to whether you trust this extension). https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/tab-schedule/kegpdidbhjabdmbbonhembegjpinjegl?hl=en
3. In Chrome, open the extensions tab (by selecting from “Window” menu or going to chrome://extensions/)
4. In the Tab Schedule sections, click on “Details”
5. On the next screen, click on “Extension options”. You will now be able to enter the Web address of the site you want the computer to turn on at a specific time, and the date and time on which you want it to activate. This will work for many kinds of one way streams, though it is hit or miss with Facebook live.
This method will also work for Zoom, with several additional steps.
1. Enable the Zoom app, and log in on your account (free account ok for participants as long as the Zoom host has a paid account)
2. You need to allow Chrome to automatically launch zoom (This is the hacking part! If you skip this part you will have to click a checkbox each time!
a. On a MacOS computer
i. Open the “Terminal” app (Under applications/Utilities)
ii. Paste the following into the terminal app:
defaults write com.google.Chrome ExternalProtocolDialogShowAlwaysOpenCheckbox -bool true
iii. Restart Chrome.
b. On a PC
i. Download the file at
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1dbIIOTcFx0XXnI06LIy3QVn5SjdYEpWf
ii. Click on it (this will provoke some scary warning messages about editing your windows registry. Live on the edge and go ahead)
iii. Reboot your computer
3. Open Chrome. On the next screen, click on “Extension options”. You will now be able to enter the “Zoom address” from the invitation. If the room has a password, which it should, you will need the long form that encodes the password as well: for example. https://zoom.us/j/5555555555?pwd=S0lnb2VqsfJqdFhtWksdfxeXV5L0hTdz09, and click “Add URL”
4. You will then have a field where you can add a day and time. Choose the day of the week and the time (Saturday, 9:00 AM), and hit the plus sign.
5. You can repeat this process for multiple zoom rooms and multiple dates for each one.
6. The first time you do it, you will get a pop up asking if you should always open this type of link in another program. Check the box and say yes, and then you will not see this box in the future (this is what all the terminal and registry stuff was about).
C. Stopping the stream
1. Ideally, the device would be in a room that could be closed off .
2. One low tech solution is simply physically blocking the device when not in use. If one is using a headset, at times when one does not wish to engage, one could put it in a drawer or cover it with something that muffles the sound, and cover the camera.
3. The computer can be programmed to “go to sleep” at a particular time.
a. On a MacOs machine: Under System Preferences, select “Energy Saver”. Click “Schedule” and set the computer to “sleep” at a particular date and time. The computer will go to sleep automatically 10 minutes after the time selected. (note, the same feature can also be used to wake the computer).
b. There are several ways to schedule sleep/wake on a Windows machine. Here are two:
https://windowsloop.com/schedule-windows-to-sleep-at-specific-time/
https://www.groovypost.com/howto/schedule-wake-sleep-windows-automatically/