Orthodox rabbis and those already
involved in synagogue transformation
— STAR has opened an office in
Chicago and plans to hold a national
conference next September.
Through the end of next summer,
STAR will focus on commissioning
research to discover what's working at
the most effective synagogues, and in
regional roundtable meetings.
STAR will focus attention "on some
of the people who are doing exciting,
innovative things in their communities
outside of the mainstream," said
Sanford Cardin, executive director of
the Charles and Lynn Schusterman
family foundation. "We want to intro-
duce fresh ideas and thinkers into the
national debate and discussion."
Charles Schusterman said the
founders want to branch out beyond
education and worship.
"We may be interested in a bolder
approach that would be supporting
renewal activities that may be outside
the activities of the established institu-
tions," he said. "We may see something
exciting and provide it funding, dis-
seminate the information about what
they're doing so that other synagogues
can be stimulated by other ideas."
So far, no turf battles are in evi-
dence. Even the organization which
has to date been best known for pro-
mulgating change in synagogues is
welcoming STAR's creation.
Because STAR's founding funders
"are so well known, they will convince
other people that synagogues are
important, and the more people who
believe that, the better it is for syna-
gogues and the better it is for us," said
Hoffman of S2K ❑
oval rabbi reacts to top Reform convention issues.
SHELLI DORFMAN
Sta Writer
Jewish prayer and define their wor-
ship agenda," with a focus on
increasing synagogue attendance.
ssues at the Dec. 15-19
"We at Temple Israel have really
Union of American Hebrew
been working on this for the past
Congregations con-
five years, with such
vention in Orlando
changes as our alternative
ranged from gun control
service," Rabbi Yedwab
to raising ethical children
said, referring to the 300-
to increasing attendance
400 congregants who
at worship services.
attend the temple's infor-
For Rabbi Paul
mal Shabbat services on
Yedwab of Temple Israel,
Friday evenings.
a highlight was the
The most controversial
Shabbat sermon by Rabbi
session for Rabbi Yedwab
Eric Yoffle, president of
was a Shabbat study lun-
the New York City-based Rabbi Paul Yedwab
cheon with Rabbis Judith
Union of American
Abrams and Elyse
Hebrew Congregations. The
Frishman, who are co-editing a new
UAHC represents the Reform
Central Conference of American
Rabbis
prayer book.
movement
and
its
895
congrega-
,
tions.
Rabbi Yedwab said the book "will
"This convention will be known
be a significant milestone in the histo-
by that sermon," said Rabbi
ry of Reform prayer books, while •
Yedwab, who was struck by Rabbi
adding that "with so many different
minhagim (Jewish customs) within
Yoffie's fervor on tough subjects,
nduding gun control.
our movement, it is monumentally
Rabbi Yoffie said in his sermon
difficult" to agree on one prayer book.
"Our task as Reform Jews is to see
Rabbi Yedwab and the 30 other
the control of guns not as a political
Temple Israel members and clergy
problem but as a solemn religious
who attended the convention, mean-
obligation.
while, had the opportunity to view a
Another hot topic was synagogue
display of their temple's own new
transformation, with Rabbi Yoffie
prayer book, Shema Yisrael• Hear, 0
Israel. Edited by Rabbi Yedwab, it
urging congregations to begin
studying the histoly and theology of was dedicated in 1998. ❑
Prelude To Prayer
Reform movement's new prayer book will offer a traditional theme.
DEBRA NUSSBAUM COHEN
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
New York
T
he Gates of Prayer will be
slammed shut when the
new Reform movement
prayer book, now being
composed, is published by 2005.
The as-yet unnamed volume —
being referred to by its creators as a
siddur, the traditional Hebrew word
for prayer book — will be radically
different from Gates of Prayer, say
those in charge of its publication.
Though still in the earliest stages
of composition, the new book will
likely reinstate several elements of
traditional Jewish prayer that were
long ago discarded by the Reform
movement, such as the second and -
third paragraphs of the Shema, and
references to the Messiah, they said.
The main goals for the new siddur
are "to both move toward tradition
and away from tradition, to take seri-
ously the feminist critique and to cre-
ate a siddur which truly speaks to the
variety of ways in which prayer is tak-
ing place in the Reform movement,"
said Rabbi Peter Knobel, chair of the
siddur editorial committee and of the
liturgy committee for the Central
Conference of American Rabbis, the
Reform movement's rabbinical arm.
Like its predecessor, the Union
Prayerbook, which was first published
in 1895, Gates of Prayer radically
reformed traditional Jewish prayer for
the Sabbath.
Published in 1975, Gates of Prayer,
provided 10 separately themed
Sabbath services: One essentially
PRELUDE on page 10
TENDER
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