. For The UNBEATABLE DEAL s. LARRY KAPLAN OP-ED New Cars - Trucks • Used Cars - Leasing Rabbis nien Continued from Page 7 THE UNBEATABLE DEALER tts5 4 3101, ---4 sr: • NEW 1987 CAVALIER NEW 1987 CAMARO SAVE UP TO SPRING $1000 * CASH ON THESE SELECT MODELS 4' #11Ali,vw__ " E I NBEATABLE D AL R ' 0' NEW 1987 CELEBRITY NEW 1987 NOVA NEW 1988 CORSICA NEW 1988 BERETTA NEW 1987 SPECTRUM 28111 Telegraph and 12 Mile at 1-696 355-1000 CMS OM QUALITY SERVICE PARTS GM SWIM' M110111 00111.0•AlICIN 10 Friday, May 8, 1987 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS *On Camaro, Celebrity (4 cyl.), Spectrum, Nova. Dealer participation may af- fect consumer cost. Offer expires May 31, 1987, on Celebrity, Cavalier, Ca- maro, Nova, Corsica and Beretta. Offer expires June 30, 1987, on Spectrum only. . 3 V30 319 VIV39 N11 3H1,, .. 8 31V30 319V/V39 N11 Hi, talra a. sow A011.1 1V30 319 V1V39 Nil 3H1, 6th Anniversary Sale .831V30 319V1V39N 3H1, Across from Tel-12 Mall . /131V30 318V13138N 1 3. , NBEATABLE DEALE R" "THE U NBEATABLE DEALER" 28111 Telegraph Rd. & 1-696 (313) 355-1000 (313) 355-6414 when things go wrong at a synagogue or temple, the rabbi is the first to be blamed (if there is not a convenient administrator or cantor handy). If membership isn't booming, if the children aren't learning enough, if the building is too old or in the wrong place, firing the rabbi usually seems to be the best solution. The result of all of this is quite obvious. Being a rabbi is no job for a nice Jewish boy or girl. There are three ways out for the rabbi in the current system. The first is complete burnout. He or she must leave congregational life to become either an adminis- trator in the Jewish com- munal field, a Jewish educator, a federation profes- sional (where the story often repeats itself), or leave Jewish communal life com- pletely. The second is rampant mediocrity, usually in smaller congregations that cannot attract the flashier models. Mayor Richard Daley once said: "Don't make no waves, don't back no losers." The rabbi becomes a non- entity, an invisible person who is neither threatening nor very active. The rabbi stays, but has little to say and little to do. The third is to. become a Mr. or Ms. Slick, to quote a popular rock song: "I know all the rules and I know how to break 'em, and I always know the name of the game." The rabbi has been eaten up, not because he left the field, or stayed in it as a defeated player, but because the spiritual leadership and guidance he might have pro- vided has been subverted to power politics, glad-handing, and obligatory interesting but banal speeches. Congregations cannot blame the rabbi for providing the teflon-coated superstar that they have demanded. If he does not conform to their notion of Everything to Everyone, they have no more compunction about firing him than they would the janitor. Tragically, as they eat up the rabbis, they are also destroy- ing the spiritual soul of con- temporary Judaism. Congregational rabbis can- not be expected to survive in the political milieu of con- temporary synagogue life without adopting some of the behaviors of the congrega- tions they serve. They cannot be all things to all people without becoming defeated or manipulative themselves. Congregations create shells or shills, and the process de- stroys the best aspects of both the human beings and the in- stitutions they serve. Make no mistake — many rabbis thrive in their capacity as master politicians in their little fiefdoms. Cer- tainly some rabbis have a Moses complex, believing they are direct conduits to God. Some have egos larger than the State of Montana, and enjoy the opportunity to play so many roles in synagogue life. That is a tragic waste of energy, be- cause contemporary synagogue life is so often empty of true spiritual ex- citement. It is very sad that the rabbi is the last person in the synagogue who would be able to provide that religious . joy or excitement. He is too busy recruiting bingo volun- teers or helping raise funds for the new chapel, or of- ficiating at a wedding of two strangers in his congregation: But it is astonishing that some people blame the rabbi for succeeding within this corrupting system. By con- forming to the political rules, some rabbis master the game. It is astonishing. that some people blame the rabbi for succeeding within this corrupting system. That is what good performers do, and why the rabbinate is increasingly populated by those who have the stomach for non-stop glamour shows. Of course, many' rabbis have risen above the system by being spiritual leaders and teachers. They refuse to play the game, and refuse to enter the political fray. They are secure enough in their _ knowledge, their relation- ships, and their influence. They exert leadership and guidance through the moral authority that comes from being good leaders and role models. Rabbis ought to be schol- ars. They ought to be teachers. They ought to be spiritual leaders. They ought to provide religious guidance and comfort. The contempor- ary American scene has enough cheerleaders, power brokers, politicians, and so- cial workers. If we keep de- manding these things from our rabbis, they will have lit- tle time, energy, or inclina- tion to provide the religious substance that the Jewish community needs so desper- ately. We will have a great show, but one as hollow as a three-minute rock video. It will be full of images, but no one will remember what they heard or saw. Synagogues need adminis- trators, educators, counselors, and planners. If synagogues and temples were more in-