SPECIAL COMMENTARY
Renewing Our Synagogues And Ourselves
bers) at Yavneh after the Second Tern-
ple was destroyed. It was here that
Rabbi ben Zakkai began to adapt the
practices of Judaism to a new reality
— a social climate that lacked the cen-
trality of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Today, Judaism is facing a challenge
as great as the destruction of the Sec-
ond Temple. Assimilation and attri-
tion are seriously depleting the ranks
of our people in the diaspora. We are
living in an era when every Jew is a
Jew by choice, so we must completely
rethink how we deliver our faith and
culture now that Judaism must com-
pete in the marketplace of ideas. Only
through a profound renaissance of
Jewish life and Jewish spirit can we
hope to curb assimilation and ensure
that a critical mass of engaged Jews
live Jewish lives in North America in
the 21st century and beyond.
It is time for another Yavneh. We
need new conversations, open and
honest discussions, about the future
of the synagogue and new plans to
realize our visions. I hope that by
implementing the STAR action plan,
we will help spark serious conversa-
tions and innovative experiments
needed to accomplish these crucial
initiatives. Over the next five years,
STAR will offer consortia of Jewish
organizations grants to develop innov-
Harkening Back
ative new models to reinvigorate the
The challenges our synagogues face
synagogue. We will enhance commu-
today remind me very much of the
nications by hosting transdenomina-
story of Yavneh. Rabbi Yochanan ben
tional meetings between Jewish lead-
Zakkai established his talmudic acade-
ers. Our technology program will pro-
San-
my of Torah study and a new
vide synagogues with improved corn-
(governing
body
of
70
mem
hedrin
perpetuating Jewish tradition, and
responding to essential human needs.
hroughout the entire Jewish
They
seek assistance in renewing
world, synagogues are busy
themselves
as true centers of excel-
preparing for Rosh
lence,
capable
of reaching out to the
Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
community and delivering
While Passover may be the
the very best that Jewish life
most widely celebrated Jewish
has to offer.
holiday, no religious obser-
The task will be formida-
vance on our Jewish calendar
ble. The Jewish community
fills our sanctuaries like the
as a whole must step forward
services we hold on the High
to provide the means for the
Holy Days.
synagogue to redefine itself
For these few precious
and its role in communicat-
hours, most contemporary
ing the essence and excite-
Jews interrupt their regular
ment of Judaism to the Jew-
routine and present the syna-
ish people. Transformation
CHARLES
gogue with an unparalleled
and renewal efforts such as
SCHUSTERMAN
opportunity to demonstrate
Synagogue Transformation
Special
to
that Judaism has relevance
And Renewal (acronym
the
Jewish
News
and meaning — for the lives
STAR), Synagogue 2000 and
of the young and old, the
a host of denominationally
affiliated and unaffiliated,
based
initiatives
will produce systemic
individuals who encounter Judaism
change only if synagogues are empow-
through intermarriage, and people
ered to take risks, to experiment with
seeking community.
new ideas and to invest valuable
Many synagogues are up to this
resources to achieve the desired results.
task. Many more, however, are search-
Accepting
the premise that business as
ing for innovative and effective ways
usual
is
no
longer sufficient, we must
to fulfill their traditional responsibili-
ask
difficult
questions and seriously
ties of transmitting the rich intellectu-
reconsider
the
role of the synagogue in
al and spiritual quality of Judaism,
contemporary Jewish life.
teaching Jewish history and values,
Charles Schusterman is president of
Synagogue Transformation and Renewal
(STAR), a Chicago-based alliance dedi-
cated to helping to provide the founda-
tion for comprehensive synagogue trans-
formation and renewal across the
denominational spectrum.
munications and educational oppor-
tunities through the Internet. We will
introduce consultants into our con-
gregations to offer expert advice and
counsel, and by providing synagogues
with greater access to resources of all
kinds, we hope to propel the syna-
gogue to the forefront of the Jewish
communal agenda.
Total Involvement
Everyone committed to ensuring the
vitality and vibrancy of Jewish life in
the years ahead must involve them-
selves in the effort to strengthen the
synagogue and, in turn, North
American Judaism as a whole. Syna-
gogue transformation is a communal
responsibility, so working collabora-
tively will be essential. Only by
working together, across organiza-
tional lines, will we achieve renewal
and promote understanding, toler-
ance and harmony within the Jewish
community.
Starting tonight, Jews around the
country and across the world will enter
synagogues in great numbers. May we
take advantage of this propitious oppor-
tunity, a time of personal reflection and
renewal, to direct communal attention
toward the importance of reorienting
and renewing our synagogues.
And may the resources we commit
to this effort in 5761 result in even
greater numbers passing through the
doors of our synagogues on Rosh
Hashanah 5762 — and every year
thereafter. ❑
Related stories: page 58
How Synagogues Must Change
Everywhere, the evidence
abounds
that the ethnic/sur-
he changing agen-
vivalist
agenda
is being
da of the Jewish
replaced
by
a
personal/spiri-
community is
tual agenda.
increasingly well-
Many will weigh in about
documented. For the better
whether this is good or bad.
part of the postwar period,
The truth is, it is a mixed
the Jewish community
blessing.
focused its communal ener-
The Jewish community
gies and resources on an
RABBI S IDNEY has ignored the spiritual
ethnic/survivalist agenda.
SCH W ARZ
dimensions of Judaism for far
But the ethnic/survivalist
al to
Speci
too long, and we are paying a
agenda, which stirred the
the
Jewi
sh
News
heavy price for it in terms of
passions of an entire era of
the number of younger Jews
American Jews, no longer
who have abandoned the
excites younger members of
Jewish community for a host of spiri-
the community. Raised in relative
tual alternatives. At the same time, no
affluence with few international Jewish
responsible representation of Judaism
needs demanding their attention,
can
exclude a healthy dose of commu-
younger Jews have turned inward.
Washington, D.C.
T
9/29
12000
74
nal solidarity and public responsibility
— perspectives that are woefully
absent from the promoters of the "new
Jewish spirituality."
With that said, there is ample cause
for concern that the Jewish communi-
ty is not reading the signals of this
changing agenda quickly enough.
In his 1993 book, A Generation of
Seekers, Wade Clark Roof noted that
the Boomer generation of Americans,
as it enters middle age, has little loyal-
ty to its birth religion. The Boomers'
search for "post-materialistic" values
about meaning and the purpose of life
generally leaves them disillusioned
with the traditional churches and syn-
agogues of their youth, which are long
on doctrine, liturgy and hierarchy, and
short on personal engagement.
The greatest beneficiaries of the
spiritual wanderlust of the boomer
generation are a wide array of spiritu-
al-retreat centers, ashrams of Eastern
religious traditions and New Age-
inspired self-help groups. Among the
most avid consumers of these new
spiritual alternatives are Jews.
Booming Interest
The emercrinc, interest in revitalizinc,
the American synagogue comes not a
moment too soon. By any measure,
there is a religious boom going on in
America. The question is whether syn-
agogues can read the generational
preferences well enough to capitalize
on this boom. Among these prefer-
CHANGE on page 75