Editor's Letter
WOMEN'S
EUROPEAN & AMERICAN
Conservatively Speaking
A
s the Conservative movement seeks to reinvent
itself to attract more young families, its newest
ambassador is crisscrossing North America to
engage synagogue leaders in imagining what synagogues do
and what the movement is about.
And Rabbi Steven Wernick, who
rejuvenated Adath Israel synagogue in
Philadelphia between 2001 and 2009,
is off to a solid start as the new execu-
tive vice president and CEO of United
Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
(USCJ), the movement's high-profile,
in-flux North American synagogue arm.
He gets high marks for acknowl-
edging New York-based USCJ's shaky
status in some Jewish communities,
like Detroit, and imperceptible ties in
others. He understands that Judaism's
re-emerging middle ground will flourish only if it embraces
innovative thinking on ritual and worship and truly serves
synagogues on their spiritual journey. He knows he must sell
synagogues on being part of an organization that shares suc-
cesses, evaluates failures and nurtures identity.
He offers no excuses.
His pitch for a joint think tank between educators, clergy,
administrators and lay leaders within the movement should
echo through the corridors of every Conservative shul in
North America. The Detroit Jewish community includes eight
Conservative synagogues and at least 3,300 member families.
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The bounce in Wernick's step is not by
chance. He's the son of a Conservative rabbi
and was active as a teenager and young adult
in the movement's youth group and summer
camp system. He was ordained at the Jewish
Theological Seminary in New York. For the
last 14 years, he was a pulpit rabbi. He and
his wife, Jody, have three daughters.
His challenge is formidable. The movement
has lost members even as it works to transition
into something more vibrant, dynamic and
purposeful. Still, USCJ boasts a $12.6 million
annual budget, 700 member congregations
USCJ's Rabbi
and 1 million congregants. Conservative Jews
as a group are highly educated and involved so
the movement has a ready foundation for rebuilding.
Super-charged issues continue to resound: the role of musi-
cal instruments on Shabbat, how to approach interfaith fami-
lies, whether to ordain gays and lesbians, how to invigorate
the national youth network, how to have a unified voice on
more social justice causes and public policy votes.
Wernick points to Magen Tzedek, the movement's new ethi-
cal certification seal for kosher food production, as a unifier. I
applaud the seal, given the industry's ethical troubles. -
midway into his three-day Michigan visit with synagogue lead-
ers in Metro Detroit, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo.
He didn't come to shmooze; he sought to be enlightened.
I left our 40-minute chat confident that this high-energy
rabbi would give his all to the movement he dearly loves. He
has a penchant for taking calculated risks infused with cour-
age and wisdom. He seems open to criticism, committed to
change and undeterred by the vise effect the growing Reform
and Orthodox movements have had on his turf. He encour-
ages nuances and individuality, which give synagogues a
unique character, while hoping there's wide need and support
for USCJ, essentially a national federation of synagogues.
"I want USCJ to be of real value to congregations that
pay dues, especially at a time when resources are strained,"
Wernick said in our interview. "I want USCJ to be of assis-
tance — to be a phone call worth making.
"USCJ has the ability to play an important role for the
Conservative movement. It's my job to re-imagine that role."
That's honest and telling. It's the mark of a champion of
synagogue life seeking a common vision and a new direction.
Bright
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Ever the optimist, Wernick says that among the Conservative
Jews who have moved on to other affiliations, many still are
influenced by their one-time Conservative identity. He cited
the movement's youth groups, summer camps and Israel
experiences as examples of Conservative movement identity
builders that are never lost.
More than ever, Jews have choices.
"Where every previous generation of
Jews could trust habit, carrying on where
your family was before said JTS Chancellor
Arnold Eisen in a previous JN interview, "the
default position now is to assimilate." Thus,
every Jewish institution — from Federation,
to the JCC, to synagogues, to communal agen-
cies to the JN must make Judaism reso-
nate. Our future as a people, as opposed to
surviving as clusters of Jews, is at stake.
Rabbi VVernick defines Conservative Jews
as spiritual seekers who blend tradition and
modernity through a unique approach to
sacred texts involving traditional study meth-
ods and modern scholarship. They are com-
Wernick
mitted Jews within the larger society.
Wernick is adamant: Once reinvented,
the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism will create
engaging opportunities for congregations to grow together
— financially, operationally, programmatically, spiritually.
"The future he said, "inspires me to move forward on the
work that needs to be done."
At a time when we Jews lament who we are or what we
stand for, it's refreshing to hear a voice of promise proclaim
that the Conservative movement will buck the troubling trend,
attract a new generation and reset its spiritual compass.
Time will tell if he's right. But rest assured: He's impressive. ❑
SALE
—
CervAncirm Demeanor
On July 1, Wernick replaced Rabbi Jerome Epstein, who retired
from USCJ after 33 years. One of Wernick's first acts was to
plan a summer tour of larger Jewish communities to take the
movement's pulse and invite new ideas. In light of USCJ's here-
tofore minimalist role here, he made Michigan his first stop. We
met on July 15 at Congregation Beth Ahm in West Bloomfield,
DESIGNER
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