EDITOR'S WATCH

Shaping More Relevant Synagogues

gogue and Community Life."
Rabbi Sid Schwarz, founder and
he synagogue is not the epi-
president of the Washington Institute
center of our spiritual lives
for Jewish Leadership and Values, set the
as Jews. The home is.
tone when he declared that shuls tend to
But the synagogue is the
"have bright, intelligent, Judaically illit-
gateway to our neshama, our Jewish
erate people as members."
soul, no matter how Torah-observant
There was consensus among pan-
we are.
elists that shuls can become
It's a place to learn and
more relevant, and a greater
teach — where social stand-
source of learning, by tap-
ing shouldn't matter. It's a
ping into the spiritual vital-
place to meet, mingle and
ity of their members. The
meditate — and shape a corn-
net result is empowered
mon future aglow with Jewish
congregants eager to bare
values and the prophetic
their spirituality.
vision of social justice.
"Synagogues know what
Skeptics cite national stud-
it
means
to engage, inspire
ies that show less than half of
and educate Jews — it's not
all Jewish households (Jews
ROB ERT A.
rocket science," said Kur-
from birth who maintain a
S KLAR
shan.
"But they must devel-
Jewish identity) belong to
Editor
E'
op
creative,
new ways for
one. Still, the synagogue
strengthening
their partner-
remains important to our
ship
with
members."
Jewish lives, to appreciating the histo-
Spirituality won't ooze from the shul
ry, customs and rituals of our 4,000-
setting,
said Dr. Ronald Wolfson, one of
year-old faith.
the architects of Synagogue 2000, a
I like to say we have good syna-
national outreach project geared to ener-
gogues that can be better. They can be
gizing the 21st century synagogue,
more uplifting and fulfilling. But we
"unless everyone who walks in feels cre-
have to want them to be.
ated in the image of God."
At a crucial crossroads, synagogues
While some of us are divinely
were hotly debated at the General
inspired
the moment we set foot in
Assembly of the new communal
shul,
others
consider it service based
umbrella for North American Jewry,
— from Hebrew school, to a lun-
United Jewish Communities.
cheon speaker to observing Yahrzeit.
Dr. Alisa Rubin Kurshan of the
For too many of us, the synagogue
UJA-Federation of New York moder-
is
where
we seek something materially,
ated the Nov. 18 workshop "New
like
a
High
Holiday seat, not where
Partnerships for Strengthening Syna-

Atlanta

If Hitler were alive today, not
only would he understand the ratio-
nale for Pollard's punishment, he
would applaud it. He would also
applaud former Defense Secretary
Caspar Weinberger for his role in
engineering the result. Moreover,
Hitler's 6 million victims would also
understand the rationale for Pollard's
punishment as well as his abandon-
ment by those in a position to help
but who chose not to.
Over the years, both Pollard and
Schwartz cases have been shrouded in
governmental secrecy. Such secrecy, as
the Dreyfus Affair has shown, is
incompatible with justice. As long as
the veil of secrecy persists, as long as
Weinberger's pre-sentencing memo
continues to be classified "secret," the
suspicion will continue to persist that
there has been a dual form of justice

— one for Pollard and another for
Schwartz.
Those who care about justice ought
to be troubled not only by the issues a
dual form of justice raises, but also by
the Clinton administration's insensi-
tivity to those issues.
Irving Warshawsky
West Bloomfield

Are Our Leaders
Really Thinking?

After reading your Nov. 19 article
"UJC Probes Leak," I had to read it
again a number of times because I
could not initially believe the stupidity
and arrogance of some of our so-called
leaders.
The decision for a Jewish organiza-
tion to give the Isaiah Award to (Pales-

than other synagogues." Technology in
we bring something spiritually, like a
the classroom is one area in which syna-
thirst for learning.
gogues in metro Detroit can work more
So before a synagogue's doors are
closely. For example, larger synagogues
opened, Rabbi Schwarz said, "we've
have the know-how to help smaller ones
got to decide the feelings we want
train teachers in computer use and
people to emerge with."
application.
His intent for every Shabbat service:
Following the destruction of the
to stir laughter and tears, to explore one
Second Temple in 70 CE, the syna-
profound liturgical idea and to help peo-
gogue became the heartbeat of Jewish
ple connect with others.
religious and communal life. Wherev-
Dr. Wolfson, vice president of the
er Jews settled, they built a bet knesset,
University of Judaism in Los Angeles,
a place to worship and study.
envisions the best shuls as lifelong
During the Middle Ages, the syna-
learning centers. The vast majority of
gogue
was the hub for which the reli-
members who leave, he said, do so
gious, educational, social and charita-
after their children's &nal mitzvah
ble spokes of community life, radiated.
years when they no longer feel
In turn-of-the-century Detroit,
attached. "We've got to make adults,"
poor Jews emigrating from eastern
he said, "feel 'it's my synagogue'."
Europe found ties to their homeland
And I see that happening by creat-
in the shtibkch, the homespun shuls
ing opportunities for adults to tingle
in the shtetl on Detroit's lower east
from the joy of synagogue learning. At
side, around Hastings Street.
the same time, clergy and lay leaders
The strongest Judaism is one that's
must team up to dispel the myth that
rooted in the family at home. Still,
shul life is only a series of unrelated
studying together in synagogue is an
religious events.
enduring way for congregants to unite
Territorial by nature, synagogues
Jewishly and affirm their Jewish identity.
also must partner more with neighbor-
We're not commanded to go to
ing congregations. As Dr. Wolfson put
shul.
But we should nonetheless revere
it, "We've got to develop collaborative
the
synagogue
experience as a cultiva-
efforts cross stream. In some communi-
tor
of
what
binds
us as a people, not
ties, denominations don't even talk to
of what divides us into streams. ❑
each other, let alone make Jews
together."
That's not so much the case in
e a message for Robert
Detroit, a national model for religious
(248) 35-6060, ext.
pluralism, but his point still resonates.
248) 354-6069 or e-mail
So does Kurshan's claim that syna-
ewishnews.com
gogues tend "to pair more with churches

tinian leader) Yasser Arafat was bad
enough and illustrates a complete lack
of good judgment. The subsequent
decision to spend our funds to hire
the Kroll Associates to investigate how
this apparently secretly planned award
was leaked to the press raises the stu-
pidity of our leadership to a higher
level. If anything, the person who
leaked the information performed a
service to the Jewish community and
should be rewarded.
I commend the Jewish Advocate of
Boston and the Jewish News of Detroit
for bringing this episode to our atten-
tion and encourage you to investigate
the cost incurred by hiring the Kroll
Associates and the actions taken by
UJC, if any.
Leo Goldstein
Farmington Hills

Rabin Piece
Raises Questions

Neil Rubin's op-ed piece on Yitzhak
Rabin ("Ghost of Rabin," Nov. 19)
makes some curious assertions.
First, he claims that Rabin was
gunned down by a religious Jew. "
Although Yigal Amir wore a
yarmulke, he could, in no way, be
considered a religious Jew, acting as
judge, jury and executioner in the way
in which he did. Religious Jews under-
stand that sentencing requires a trial
before a beit din with testimony from
witnesses. Such a trial did not occur in
this life. Religious Jews understand
that final judgement and disposition
of the soul must be left to the Holy
One, blessed be He.
Second, Mr. Rubin claims that the al

"

12/3

1999

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