This Week
Reinventing The Temple
DEBRA NUSSBAUM COHEN
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
New York
ill "synagogue transforma-
tion" join "Jewish renais-
sance" in replacing "conti-
nuity" as the communal
buzzwords of the next century? The
powerhouse philanthropy triumvirate of
Charles Bronfman, Charles Schusterman
and Michael Steinhardt intends to make
. it so with a new endeavor they have
named STAR Synagogue
Transformation And Renewal.
The three men are planning to ante
up several million dollars — and attract
other megadonors as well — for the
project, much as they have for day
school education through their
Partnership for Excellence in Jewish
Education, which provides substantial
funding to new Jewish elementary and
middle schools, and as Bronfman
and Steinhardt have for
Birthright Israel, which
provides free trips to
Israel for young adults:
They think a new
organization, indepen-
dent of any of the
Jewish denomina-
tions or federations,
is the best way to
effect "systemic change"
in the way synagogues
work, STAR President
Charles
1/7
2000
Schusterman said in a telephone inter-
view from his office in Tulsa, Okla.
"The synagogue needs to serve the
central role for Jewish renewal in the
diaspora," Schusterman said. "To cre-
ate a continuing number of Jews we
must focus on our religion. Being a
cultural Jew is not adequate if we want
to provide continuity to our children
and grandchildren."
STAR is not the first effort to make
,
cost of a community-wide synagogue
,transformation project being run in
the area's 11 non-Orthodox congrega-
tions by Synagogue 2000.
Launched four years ago in the
wake of the 1990 population study,
Synagogue 2000 — or S2K, as its
founders now like it to be known —
has, to date, been the major synagogue
transformation project for Judaism's
liberal denominations.
Started by Rabbi Larry Hoffman, a
professor of liturgy at the Reform
movement's seminary in New York,
and Ron Wolfson, director of the
Whizin Center for the Jewish Future
at the University of Judaism in Los
Angeles, S2K began working with 16
congregations around the country.
engineering of the synagogue" in a
Since then, it has expanded to
major address at his group's convention
work
regionally
with five synagogues in
in November in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
the
Washington
area, and with 11 non-
Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the
Orthodox synagogues in the Denver-
Reform movement's Union of
Boulder area of Colorado. It also will
American Hebrew Congregations, said
shortly roll out a plan to work-closely
.in a major address at his organization's
with 15 congregations in each of the lib-
convention in Orlando, Fla., in
eral movements — Conservative,
December, that "too often, services are
Reconstructionist and Reform.
tedious, predictable and dull."
The way S2K works is this: Its lead-
Officials of the liberal movements
ers
developed a "best practices" model
and some Orthodox rabbis were invit-
that
they take to their client syna-
ed to participate in STAR's planning
gogues, helping them learn how to do
process, but the largest Orthodox syn-
such things as having station welcom-
agogue organization, the Orthodox
ers to receive congregants and guests
Union, was not.
to the services and weaving more
Dr. Mandell Ganchrow, president
music into the worship service.
of the OU, said that "we don't need
Their focus has been, primarily, on
transformation from that group," but
the
worship experience.
noted that his organization has, for .
In
the Reform movement, a project
the last three years, been aiding its
emphasizing both adult and youth
own member-synagogues in trans-
education began in 1992. The
forming the way they operate.
Experiment in Congregational
Jewish federations, whose divide from
Education works with 14 Reform con-
synagogues was historically considered
gregations around the country to help
to be as sacrosanct as the separation
them each become "a congregation of
between church and state in American
learners and a learning congregation,"
civic life, are also taking a new approach.
said Isa Aron, director of the program.
John Ruskay, executive vice presi-
That project, which is based at the
dent and CEO of UJA-Federation of
Rhea Hirsch School of Education at
New York, addressed the subject
recently in a major address delivered at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute
of Religion in Los Angeles, has an
the federation's annual meeting.
annual budget of about $80,000.
"In this new era, it is time to devel-
It is unclear how the STAR approach
op an ongoing structured partnership
will
differ from these previous efforts.
with our synagogues," he said, "because
After
spending the past year con-
our fates" are "inextricably linked."
sulting with leading figures in
Across the country, federations are
including the
American Jewish life
backing up that sentiment with funding.
heads of each of the liberal synagogue
In Denver, ror example, the local
movements and seminaries, modern
federation has shouldered part of the
American Jews belong to a congregation
at some point in their adult lives,
according to the study, but in 1990 only
one-third of families with a Jew in them
were synagogue members — which
means that while synagogues reach
almost everyone, they don't succeed in
keeping people involved.
Rabbi Jerome Epstein, executive vice
president of the United Synagogue for
Conservative Judaism, called for a "re-
Philanthropists target synagogues in
latest quest for Jewish renewal.
synagogues more meaningful as a way
of enhancing Jewish life. Those
already involved in such endeavors are
welcoming the new initiative.
Synagogues have been roundly
criticized recently as ineffec-
tive and uninspiring, even
by leaders of the major
synagogue movements.
At the same time,
they are viewed as the
source of Jewish com-
munal salvation —
because they are the
largest gateway into
Jewish involvement,
according to the findings
of the 1990 National
Jewish Population Study.
Eighty percent of