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April 29-flay 6

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Colossal Collection:

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drive-thru & drop-off

Sunda, April 1, 10:30am.-12:30pm

Max M. Fisher Jewish Federation Building
6735 Telegraph Road (south of Maple), Bloomfield Hills

additional drop-off sites through march 30

Sarah & Ralph Davidson
Radassah Rouse

5030 Orchard Lake Road
West Bloomfield
Mon.-Fri. 8am-3pm
248-683-5030

Jewish Community Center
JPM Bldg.

Max M. Fisher
Jewish Federation Bldg.

Tuesdays 9am-3pm
Wednesdays 5-9pm
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Mon: Fri. 9am-4pm
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to volunteer or for questions:

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32

March 29 g 2007

hose that have
struggled in
the business
aspects of synagogue
life are familiar with the
demographic studies
— the increasing rate
of intermarriages, the
slackening of the "need"
for organized religion and
the perceived high cost.
Many prospective members today,
especially those without a family his-
tory of affiliation, function as consum-
ers and are simply looking to purchase
access to the sellable domain of syna-
gogues - life cycle events, children's
educations, rabbinical services and
High Holiday seating. Unlike past
generations, there are fewer and fewer
other reasons to "belong:'
Unless basic organizational struc-
tures receive critical examination, the
gap between what synagogues supply
and what future generations need will
widen to the point of making syna-
gogues obsolete as houses of worship.
The typical Reform and
Conservative synagogue organizational
platform from which we approach
these challenges remains mostly
unchanged. We restrict ourselves to
tinkering on the periphery of that
platform by throwing in a few bells
and whistles that appeal to tangential
desires.
Since these programming additions
appear to satisfy needs, we never both-
er to examine the continued viability
of the core structure, the primary rea-
son for being.

Assess The Core
Just as our buildings are essentially
sanctuaries surrounded by support-
ing rooms, so too is our perspective
on the role of the synagogue with a
rabbinical-led worship service as the
focal point, with the other offerings out
there to fill in perceived gaps.
Yet, we devote the least amount of
our concern to the largest room, which
is now the room used least. Perhaps it
is the room least used because it is the
room least needed today.
The problem with this passive per-
spective toward the core platform is
that it exempts us from challenging
its primary component — the role of
the rabbi in synagogue life. And since
the rabbi's primary reason for being

is leading the worship
service in the sanctuary,
that service and location,
while the default focus
of synagogue life, never
receives critical examina-
tion as to its contempo-
rary relevance.
No wonder so many
synagogues struggle. In
many ways, we're doing
a great job selling buggy
whips. We approach the
demographics, like intermarriage, by
trying to reverse trends rather than
accepting them and figuring out how
to cope in ways relevant to current and
future needs.
Other studies tell us that Jews are
looking for a more enriching personal
spiritual experience. Obviously then,
many of them are not receiving this
with us; otherwise synagogues would
not have their struggles.
One roadblock many congregations
reported with their Synagogue 2000
experience was that when the grass-
roots desires were identified, the com-
mon response was that the rabbi/can-
tor would never go along with it.
To me, this issue was not pro-
gramming, melodies or the clergy's
resistance, it was a much larger issue,
i.e., the disconnect between the orga-
nization's current focus and what con-
gregants want. The typical synagogue
structure and focus is simply not in
sync with and may not be able to meet
the emerging needs of Jews today.

A New Perspective
We must consider if the current struc-
ture of the synagogue, especially the
role of the rabbi as more or less the
CEO and chief "pray-er," should be
reexamined in light of the new realities
of what Jews need the religious compo-
nent of the synagogue to be — more
the vehicle than the destination.
To be this vehicle, synagogues must
evolve from the currently structured
we-provide-you-consume model and
become Enablers of Personal Jewish
Expression. "Enabler" means to be a
conduit that connects the current and
the desired future. "Personal" recog-
nizes the different paths we're all on
as opposed to the path we're given by
the current system that satisfies their
structure with secondary regard to
members' needs.
"Jewish" recognizes the essential ties
that bind us, be it observance, culture

