FROM LAGOS TO THE WORLD: How One Synagogue Is Taking Selichot To Telegram
EVERY MORNING at four o’clock, long before Lagos wakes up, Nathan Uwaoma, a chazan and father, climbs to the bimah of Adat Yisrael Synagogue and begins to chant Selichot. He has done this ritual every morning, at the same time, apart from Shabbat. Selichot, which is known as the penitential prayers, and depending on the custom one is following, is recited daily from the first of Elul through the eve of Yom Kippur, pleading for forgiveness ahead of the Days of Awe.
But this year too, his voice doesn’t stay in the building.
Besides him on the bimah sits his android phone, quietly streaming the prayer live to a Telegram channel created by the synagogue, under the leadership of Kish Onyia, for exactly this purpose. The moment the cantor is ready to begin, a link goes out to the group, and members wherever they are click in to join him.
What’s striking is the math: the Telegram group now has about one hundred and fifty members, a number that outstrips the synagogue’s own physical membership. People who may never set foot in the building on a given morning are logging in from home, from other parts of Nigeria, mostly in the East, and even from other countries such as the United Kingdom, to pray together in real time.
The arrangement solves a problem as old as Selichot itself: the prayers demand an early hour that many people, especially those with jobs, families, or long commutes, simply cannot keep in person. For a working parent or someone living far from the synagogue, attending at four in the morning every day for weeks is often unfeasible, and attending at four in the morning every day for weeks is often out of reach. The Telegram broadcast removes that barrier entirely.
While leveraging an online tool, it also solves something more structurally important—parts of the Selichot service require a minyan, a quorum of ten, for certain responses to be said. Even remotely, members respond “Amen” together as the chazan reaches those points, turning what could be a solitary act of listening into something closer to communal prayer, even at a distance.
This is the second year Adat Yisrael has run the broadcast. A Telegram group existed last year too, but nowhere near as prominent or well-organized as this year’s effort. The synagogue has clearly taken it upon itself to make the prayer as accessible as possible, every single morning of Elul. The synagogue is ensuring that congregants approach and prepare for the High Holidays in the most halakhic ways possible.
The channel has, in effect, become a small act of decentralization for Jewish life in Nigeria: allowing people to join Selichot from the east, from the west, and from communities abroad, each tuning in according to their own time zone. Praying together in this way, even scattered across such distances, has helped bring a sense of kavanah, the focused intention that the High Holiday season calls for.
The Challenge: Network, Not Will
Not everything runs perfectly. Rivka, wife of the cantor, says the main challenge has been network reliability. Even when Nathan continues chanting without interruption, poor connectivity inside the synagogue can cut off listeners who are furthest away.
At times, Rivka says, her husband has had to step outside the building mid-prayer, phone in hand, walking around in search of a stronger signal, hoping the brothers on the other end remain connected while he continues leading Selichot. It’s a small, almost unnoticed act of devotion. To be chanting ancient words of repentance while pacing outside in the dark, the phone held up like a lifeline to a congregation he cannot see.
“The problem might also be about the gadget being used,” Rivka said, suggesting that a dedicated router powering the broadcast could offer a more stable connection. Despite the challenges, a 4G or 5G router could ensure a significantly more stable and uninterrupted Selichot experience, even for those joining from outside Nigeria.
In the meantime, the synagogue has built in a workaround. Kish, who doubles as leader and Telegram admin, typically records the prayer as it happens, whether or not the live stream makes it to the end without dropping. Once Selichot concludes, the recording, whether the full session or just the portion where the connection faltered, is posted back to the group. Someone who wakes at five can simply open the recorded version and pray along on their own time from their phone, even after the live prayer has ended. In addition to joining the Telegram channel, members also have a copy of the Selichot prayer on their phone to follow the live or recorded prayer session.
Are you finding it challenging to keep up with the Selichot prayer? Add your “Amen” to ours. Join the Adat Yisrael Selichot broadcast every morning of Elul — click below to join us on Telegram and be part of the minyan: https://t.me/+YkBoTdlJdAoyNmY0
In conclusion, the solution Rivka points to is a simple one: a dedicated router and WiFi at the synagogue to stabilize the connection for listeners whether in Lagos or beyond. It’s a small, practical upgrade, but one that could be the difference between an interrupted broadcast and a truly uninterrupted, worldwide Selichot minyan.
For now, though, the model is already working. Whether from the bimah, where six Sifrei Torah rest in the ark, or from a phone screen hundreds of miles away, the members of Adat Yisrael are managing to pray as a small congregation in Lagos, quietly reaching well beyond its walls. as we approach the much-anticipated High Holidays.
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