Jews all over the country are having these conversations; how to keep Judaism alive, how to increase participation, how to increase and sustain membership. For me what is missing is the concept of community. Community is not just about you and me, it is about all of us. People need to feel invested in the Jewish community, which is something Chabad delivers, hands down, IMO, and is something our parents and grandparents invested in. Subsequent generations have not. I belong to a Conservative shul, grew up in a Conservative shul , but attended Reform for many years. I do think the Conservative service could be significantly shortened, including on Yom Kippur, which in my shul goes until that first star comes out. The fact that kids do not have attention span band width, is frankly inconsequential to me; kids need to expand their attention and concentration. I think the concept of "pay as you use" is more or less in place; many Jews pay and only show up for the HIgh Holidays. Why are we here, gasping for membership and membership dollars? because Reform and Conservative have not instilled Ahavat Yisrael in the same way Chabad has. My first contact with Chabad was via email - Ask the Rabbi. The rabbi told me that "Reform, Conservative, Orthodox - these are only terms that separate us". I almost cried. Do we all believe this? I doubt it.
I was raised Reform/non-observant and then Conservative when we moved. It was a place to drop in... but there wasn't a community.
As an adult, I wanted a community, and started looking for a Conservadox one, since I'd heard that they had them. If they do, they are very rare.
It turns out that Orthodox congregations do have communities for a very simple reason: the prohibition of driving on Shabbos (which the Conservative movement used to have) means that everyone has to live near a synagogue, meaning that they wind up living near one another.
Of course, there is a pretty wide range within Orthodoxy, from the Haredim on the right, to Modern Orthodox and to some groups that have female rabbis - but they all have communities. Chabad is very welcoming by design, but so are a lot of others.
I don't see Conservative finding its way back - it formed initially in reaction to Reform going too far (the famous "trefe dinner") with the idea that it was impossible to be Orthodox in today's world, so they would conserve what they could. It turns out not to have been a good bet. Conservative is likely to move closer to Reform at this point, or simply disappear.
In hindsight, I'm very fortunate to have wound up in a Modern Orthodox congregation, even if that wasn't the plan.
There needs to be more than "progressive or Orthodox", however. I have no issue with a female or gay Rabbi, but I do have an issue with a non Jewish rabanit. I don't like a band playing music during shabbat services. I prefer to daven without a mechitza.
If all "progressive" Judaism falls under the same umbrella, than it drives people like me into Orthodox shuls, because I would much rather my Rabbi be more machmir than me, as opposed to the reverse.
Furthermore, I want a movement that is willing to say what it stands for, and what it rejects. Any anti zionist shul should be ejected from the reform movement. They can go and form their own branch of Torah denying Judaism.
"Furthermore, I want a movement that is willing to say what it stands for, and what it rejects. Any anti zionist shul should be ejected from the reform movement. They can go and form their own branch of Torah denying Judaism."
^^^THIS!!! You said it better than I could when I state we need better messaging. I really think that in an effort to please everyone and not ruffle too many feathers, many congregations in the liberal Jewish community have lost their capacity to state in no uncertain terms what they stand for...and maybe it's because they don't really know! And yes, we need to reject "anti-Zionists shuls" completely. They are today's Jews for Jesus.
Very interesting, in that case I misread your piece entirely! It seemed to me as though you were calling for a broader tent, that accepts all levels of "progressive" thought.
(to be clear, I don't think of progressive as perjorative, just descriptive)
I like your overarching notion of Jewish identity and community first, specific beliefs and practices second. Have you read Mordechai Kaplan’s book Judaism as a Civilization, in published in 1933? I strongly recommend it, if not. In the first part, he issues a critique (essentially theological) of the three main American denominations, Reform, Conservative and Reform. In the second, he attempts to formulate a prescription for the revitalization of Jewish communal life. I think most of his ideas are just as pertinent today as they were a 100 years ago.
We were always told that Conservative and Reform began in Germany, that German Jews wanted to introduce the sort of decorum that they saw in the Protestant churches. In the case of Reform or “Liberal Judaism” as it’s known in the UK, in some cases the emulation of churches went all the way: the largest Reform congregation in Westmount, Quebec, has an organ and choir loft. I am sure that it, as the original one in Manhattan or in New Orleans, was funded by wealthy Jews who came from Germany. We also learned that the Conservative movement focussed on rabbinical studies - scholarship - and didn’t shy away from historical analysis of texts and sources. In my experience with Reform congregations in Canada, the services are more like Conservative ones in the US, since they have retained a lot more Hebrew. The same applies to our Reconstructionist congregation, most of whose members were raised in the modern Orthodox or Conversative traditions, and so who are conversant with Hebrew prayers and Hebrew in general.
In terms of funding, I think Jews, regardless of their individual set of beliefs, need rabbis and buildings, and this comes with annual fees. Without the willingness to fund the institutions and the indirect government support I fear they would quickly disappear. One critique I have of synagogues is that they sit empty most of the time and should be used for more activities in general. Adults should be making an effort to learn Hebrew and Yiddish (as well as other Jewish languages, should they wish) and Jewish songs, things they didn’t as kids. But of course these apprenticeships require non-trivial effort, and most of us are caught up with careers, hobbies, NHL tickets, and the like.
Reform began in Germany, Conservative began in the United States. It may not be such an important talking point today but “back in the day” those were important distinctions
“Is the musaf service, which basically just repeats everything already stated at the beginning, really necessary?” I am a late riser and often arrive just in time for musaf; without it I would be a JFK (just for kiddish) Jew.
Excellent. All of it. Especially the length of the service. We have allowed our liturgy to become unnecessarily enormous. Shabbos services should not take 3 hours. Kids, in particular, don't have the attention span for that and, invariably, wind up getting bored.
Given that the Chabad hosted Ben Gvir recently, I’d definitely not be modelling that!
I also do think there has been a whole new wave of liberal, secular Jewish people reconnecting with the spiritual aspects of the faith, and that’s a very good reason to reinvent the movement.
I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I was raised Reform, and always felt a great deal of imposter syndrome among my Conservative extended family. And I realize that this is situational, but I was confused by how their services had so much more Hebrew and were longer (therefore "more religious"), but it also seemed totally acceptable for people to get up and leave, and for kids to run around in the hallways, whereas at my services, we all were very orderly. Anyway, even growing up Reform 40 years ago, we had a similar experience - Hebrew school twice a week and I think I came out of it actually knowing the meanings of only a dozen modern words and a lot of prayers. (We did have a great deal of Holocaust and other Jewish education though). The Reform congregation where I belong now has an amazing Rabbi, and I think he's definitely in tune to what people in the community need, especially kids, and definitely open to trying new things. BUT... even as someone who grew up Reform I am always thrown off by the brevity of Shabbat services (they would have been perfect for me when I was 12 - our were at least 2 hours, now they are about an hour). I appreciate a certain amount of ceremony, I guess. Attendance is abysmal, and I miss that as well. I didn't love having to go to services Friday night as a kid, but it was packed, with lots of other kids and a pretty amazing Oneg. More than anything, I just hope for the sense of community to grow in some way. I try to volunteer for what I can, but it feels lonely sometimes. The Conservative congregation in my area has been on the brink of closure for many years because of everything you mention in your post.
I think you make several interesting points worth considering, though I may not agree with all. For me one of the biggest issues is the rabbinical model, which essentially allows new rabbis to "get their feet wet" at smaller congregations and then move on to bigger, more lucrative congregations. Rabbis are essential to community building and when they only stay at a shul for three to five years, they can't really do much.
For example, my family lives in a New York County with fairly small and spread out Jewish population. I was thrilled when we found a Conservative synagogue (how I grew up) with a young, engaging Rabbi who was also married to a Rabbi who spearheaded so many wonderful programs at the shul and in the greater community. More over, my husband, who is new to Judaism, really connected with the temple Rabbi and we felt we had found our spiritual home, even if it was a bit of a hike from our home.
After five years, the Rabbi left. The synagogue got a new Rabbi, and five years later she left as well. Yes there were other factors, but this revolving door of clergy can't be ignored.
Now let's compare this with Chabad. When they come to a community, they stay there. They immerse themselves within the Jewish population and work hard to grow. We have two Chabads that have active Hebrew schools and numerous programs. Recently, both moved into larger centers. Yes, I understand the monetary appeal, but you can't put a price on community building.
We are now members of a Reform shul, which also has built a community through the help of its long-serving Rabbi. It is also where my family as a whole is happiest, even if it took me some getting used to in terms of its different approach to ritual. The irony though, is I would argue this congregation is MORE engaged in prayer and more knowledgeable of Judaism than most of my peers who are members of Conservative synagogues.
To sum up. I think the Conservative movement should invest in helping young Rabbis build smaller congregations. This can be done by supplementing their salaries, offering busing to Jewish schools for their kids (if desired), and other forms of support. It won't solve every issue you mention, but it can't hurt.
Wow, I don't think there are adequate words for how much I hate this take. Your myopic perception of Judaism as only being "correct" if it's explicitly Liberal/progressive/Reform/secular erases any of the middle ground that currently exists between a generally non-religious Reform practice and the hyper-religious practice of Chabad... THAT is what is obviously guaranteed to alienate more Jewish people who seek something in the middle.
I love how allergic you are to the term "conservative" as if it was a dirty word... well, Jill, has it occurred to you that some people may not like the term "Reform" (or Liberal, or progressive, or secular) for the opposite but same reason? When I hear the term "Reform" I feel nauseated by the suggestion that there is something innately wrong with Judaism that needs fixing.
Cut the length of services... lol. Why go at all? Why not read a few articles from Democracy Now! since Judaism to you seems bizarrely synonymous with social justice? That or throwing a brick at a Hobby Lobby should suffice in lieu of the exhausting attention that would be commanded by having to sit through some extra prayers.
Totally agree with the notion that synagogue funding models must change, but then you propose an a la carte model? Lmao Jill, I really don't think we could see further from one another on almost anything, but wowie you can't even think critically enough here to embrace what would theoretically be an actually positive leftist sentiment -- how about instead of treating shul like a vending machine, you keep the investment in community (like Chabad does) but offer a pay-what-you-can model for membership (and allow members with more means to help subsidize the costs of others through donations)?
Perhaps more than anything, I'm appalled by your proposal for Jewish education. I am in awe of how your brain works that you would do away with Hebrew or any religious Jewish education in favor of simply a preemptive "here's how to deal with propaganda about Israel" crash course? Why not both lmao did that really never cross your mind?
I feel like you're going to block me and I appreciate your commitment to Israel, second only to your commitment to anonymously spreading your dogmatic Liberalism, but you clearly aren't particularly connected to Judaism in a religious or spiritual way, and it's amazing to me that as you acknowledge the very secular, religiously and spiritually dissociative situation that has brought Jews away from Judaism and Israel, you propose an approach that drives an ever further wedge between traditional Judaism and diasporic Jews.
Frankly, reading your post and knowing how many Reform Jews across the diaspora agree with you (most of whom really don't have a strong connection to Israel or Judaism anymore), I feel physically ill. It makes me wonder if g-d is punishing us for moving so far away from our covenant, worshipping and audaciously repackaging as "Jewish" a smattering of contemporary Liberal ideologies as fundamentally sanctioned and ordered by g-d/Judaism (they are not).
Perhaps we deserve this identity crisis, because of people like you who see plainly the problems modern Jewry faces, and instead of desiring to remember what it means to be a Jew, you look for solutions in the most assimilated, secular, convenient and easy spaces that will in time, make you and your likely non-Jewish or at best ambivalently Jewish progeny (and then non-Jewish in the next generation) somehow even more likely to turn their backs on Judaism.
It sickens me that you think what you wrote above is a solution. Like I am genuinely in awe and sad and disgusted by the number of people reading this and thinking that you have written something at all wise or productive.
You are welcome to disagree, Mallory, and I would never block you or anyone else for doing so. What I do take issue with, however, is your suggestion that I “don’t have a strong connection to Judaism anymore.” That is patently false. I just posted a follow up article today emphasizing our need to disavow anti-Zionists. I think you may find more agreement with me there.
I’m with you, Jill. Honestly the main reason I feel connected to my roots is because of Jewish overnight camp. That’s also why my daughter feels connected to it as well. I could complain about the lack of spirituality that drove me to Buddhism like many Jews but I digress. I am posting an essay about this tomorrow.
We’ve always had a PR problem. I like your idea of arming our community with the truth because we are made into political pawns at every turn whether we like it or not.
Jill, another good piece and a timely subject for many. I must say, I am a bit envious that you had a schul/synagogue to attend growing up, even with the boring Hebrew School. I had a different journey as both of my parents did not want to associate with any Synagogue. However, I was always told that I was Jewish, we did observe the main holidays, and about it. Guess my parents, as survivors, did not feel comfortable. We only had one synagogue in town, and that was Temple Beth Shalom, and I guess for Las Vegas, that was it. You are right, most of the damage is self-inflicted. There is hope, I am attaching a link to an interesting Documentary, "Front Line Warriors"
I’ve been in both conservative and modern orthodox movements. I agree there has to be another ‘hook’ bringing in people and keeping them…. Breaking apart services into Torah study groups instead of musaf? Sending out questions regarding the Torah chapter before Shabbat as an organizing resource for the study? I mean like 15 minutes. Not more. Some more spirituality with song and beauty esp for Friday nights.
If your approach to Jewish education is, "People are going to tell the most vicious lies about you on social media, so here's what to say back to them," you are going to push those children straight out the door. Who wants to sign up for a club that consists purely in being hated by other people?
Jewish children need to be taught to take pride in being part of perhaps the longest continuous civilisational story in the world (certainly the longest in the Western world), a civilisation that produced visionaries and prophets, mystics and philosophers, saints and pietists, poets, thinkers and dreamers. A civilisation that discovered the moral foundations on which the West stands and which wrote many of the stories through which its values are expressed. A civilisation that also gave comfort, meaning and purpose to the lives of millions of ordinary Jews living through some of the worst times the world has ever seen. A well that is constantly full no matter how much you drink from it. (And, yes, that to understand 90% of it, you have to be able to read Hebrew.)
You seem to think that the values you outline in your 2nd paragraph go against what I’m suggesting here. They don’t. Had the jews currently being absorbed by the antisemitic rhetoric we are seeing had the tools you describe, they would not be party to it in the first place. That is my entire point.
I grew up in a conservative synagogue and although I’m a non practicing jew, I’m deeply grateful that my understanding and my connection to judaism is solidly grounded in that.
When Ive ever experienced reform congregations I feel like im in a church. It has an entirely different feel to it.. stripped of it’s depth and meaning and cultural resonance… and today, I see that the ‘as a Jews’ who are primarily concerned with gaslighting the rest of ys about what’s happening in Israel and what antisemitism looks like come almost entirely from that stripped down version of judaism.
Reformed judaism to me looks like the end of judaism.
Jews all over the country are having these conversations; how to keep Judaism alive, how to increase participation, how to increase and sustain membership. For me what is missing is the concept of community. Community is not just about you and me, it is about all of us. People need to feel invested in the Jewish community, which is something Chabad delivers, hands down, IMO, and is something our parents and grandparents invested in. Subsequent generations have not. I belong to a Conservative shul, grew up in a Conservative shul , but attended Reform for many years. I do think the Conservative service could be significantly shortened, including on Yom Kippur, which in my shul goes until that first star comes out. The fact that kids do not have attention span band width, is frankly inconsequential to me; kids need to expand their attention and concentration. I think the concept of "pay as you use" is more or less in place; many Jews pay and only show up for the HIgh Holidays. Why are we here, gasping for membership and membership dollars? because Reform and Conservative have not instilled Ahavat Yisrael in the same way Chabad has. My first contact with Chabad was via email - Ask the Rabbi. The rabbi told me that "Reform, Conservative, Orthodox - these are only terms that separate us". I almost cried. Do we all believe this? I doubt it.
All of this, 💯
I was raised Reform/non-observant and then Conservative when we moved. It was a place to drop in... but there wasn't a community.
As an adult, I wanted a community, and started looking for a Conservadox one, since I'd heard that they had them. If they do, they are very rare.
It turns out that Orthodox congregations do have communities for a very simple reason: the prohibition of driving on Shabbos (which the Conservative movement used to have) means that everyone has to live near a synagogue, meaning that they wind up living near one another.
Of course, there is a pretty wide range within Orthodoxy, from the Haredim on the right, to Modern Orthodox and to some groups that have female rabbis - but they all have communities. Chabad is very welcoming by design, but so are a lot of others.
I don't see Conservative finding its way back - it formed initially in reaction to Reform going too far (the famous "trefe dinner") with the idea that it was impossible to be Orthodox in today's world, so they would conserve what they could. It turns out not to have been a good bet. Conservative is likely to move closer to Reform at this point, or simply disappear.
In hindsight, I'm very fortunate to have wound up in a Modern Orthodox congregation, even if that wasn't the plan.
There needs to be more than "progressive or Orthodox", however. I have no issue with a female or gay Rabbi, but I do have an issue with a non Jewish rabanit. I don't like a band playing music during shabbat services. I prefer to daven without a mechitza.
If all "progressive" Judaism falls under the same umbrella, than it drives people like me into Orthodox shuls, because I would much rather my Rabbi be more machmir than me, as opposed to the reverse.
Furthermore, I want a movement that is willing to say what it stands for, and what it rejects. Any anti zionist shul should be ejected from the reform movement. They can go and form their own branch of Torah denying Judaism.
"Furthermore, I want a movement that is willing to say what it stands for, and what it rejects. Any anti zionist shul should be ejected from the reform movement. They can go and form their own branch of Torah denying Judaism."
^^^THIS!!! You said it better than I could when I state we need better messaging. I really think that in an effort to please everyone and not ruffle too many feathers, many congregations in the liberal Jewish community have lost their capacity to state in no uncertain terms what they stand for...and maybe it's because they don't really know! And yes, we need to reject "anti-Zionists shuls" completely. They are today's Jews for Jesus.
Very interesting, in that case I misread your piece entirely! It seemed to me as though you were calling for a broader tent, that accepts all levels of "progressive" thought.
(to be clear, I don't think of progressive as perjorative, just descriptive)
I’m calling for a bigger tent that covers more houses. But all houses must identify as Zionist for entry.
I like your overarching notion of Jewish identity and community first, specific beliefs and practices second. Have you read Mordechai Kaplan’s book Judaism as a Civilization, in published in 1933? I strongly recommend it, if not. In the first part, he issues a critique (essentially theological) of the three main American denominations, Reform, Conservative and Reform. In the second, he attempts to formulate a prescription for the revitalization of Jewish communal life. I think most of his ideas are just as pertinent today as they were a 100 years ago.
We were always told that Conservative and Reform began in Germany, that German Jews wanted to introduce the sort of decorum that they saw in the Protestant churches. In the case of Reform or “Liberal Judaism” as it’s known in the UK, in some cases the emulation of churches went all the way: the largest Reform congregation in Westmount, Quebec, has an organ and choir loft. I am sure that it, as the original one in Manhattan or in New Orleans, was funded by wealthy Jews who came from Germany. We also learned that the Conservative movement focussed on rabbinical studies - scholarship - and didn’t shy away from historical analysis of texts and sources. In my experience with Reform congregations in Canada, the services are more like Conservative ones in the US, since they have retained a lot more Hebrew. The same applies to our Reconstructionist congregation, most of whose members were raised in the modern Orthodox or Conversative traditions, and so who are conversant with Hebrew prayers and Hebrew in general.
In terms of funding, I think Jews, regardless of their individual set of beliefs, need rabbis and buildings, and this comes with annual fees. Without the willingness to fund the institutions and the indirect government support I fear they would quickly disappear. One critique I have of synagogues is that they sit empty most of the time and should be used for more activities in general. Adults should be making an effort to learn Hebrew and Yiddish (as well as other Jewish languages, should they wish) and Jewish songs, things they didn’t as kids. But of course these apprenticeships require non-trivial effort, and most of us are caught up with careers, hobbies, NHL tickets, and the like.
Reform began in Germany, Conservative began in the United States. It may not be such an important talking point today but “back in the day” those were important distinctions
“Is the musaf service, which basically just repeats everything already stated at the beginning, really necessary?” I am a late riser and often arrive just in time for musaf; without it I would be a JFK (just for kiddish) Jew.
Tbh, in my family showing up “on time” means at or before the ark opens for the Torah service…which is like 30 min after it starts. 🤣
Excellent. All of it. Especially the length of the service. We have allowed our liturgy to become unnecessarily enormous. Shabbos services should not take 3 hours. Kids, in particular, don't have the attention span for that and, invariably, wind up getting bored.
Given that the Chabad hosted Ben Gvir recently, I’d definitely not be modelling that!
I also do think there has been a whole new wave of liberal, secular Jewish people reconnecting with the spiritual aspects of the faith, and that’s a very good reason to reinvent the movement.
💯
This Gen X Jew who grew up as a conservative Jew agrees completely with you.
I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I was raised Reform, and always felt a great deal of imposter syndrome among my Conservative extended family. And I realize that this is situational, but I was confused by how their services had so much more Hebrew and were longer (therefore "more religious"), but it also seemed totally acceptable for people to get up and leave, and for kids to run around in the hallways, whereas at my services, we all were very orderly. Anyway, even growing up Reform 40 years ago, we had a similar experience - Hebrew school twice a week and I think I came out of it actually knowing the meanings of only a dozen modern words and a lot of prayers. (We did have a great deal of Holocaust and other Jewish education though). The Reform congregation where I belong now has an amazing Rabbi, and I think he's definitely in tune to what people in the community need, especially kids, and definitely open to trying new things. BUT... even as someone who grew up Reform I am always thrown off by the brevity of Shabbat services (they would have been perfect for me when I was 12 - our were at least 2 hours, now they are about an hour). I appreciate a certain amount of ceremony, I guess. Attendance is abysmal, and I miss that as well. I didn't love having to go to services Friday night as a kid, but it was packed, with lots of other kids and a pretty amazing Oneg. More than anything, I just hope for the sense of community to grow in some way. I try to volunteer for what I can, but it feels lonely sometimes. The Conservative congregation in my area has been on the brink of closure for many years because of everything you mention in your post.
I think you make several interesting points worth considering, though I may not agree with all. For me one of the biggest issues is the rabbinical model, which essentially allows new rabbis to "get their feet wet" at smaller congregations and then move on to bigger, more lucrative congregations. Rabbis are essential to community building and when they only stay at a shul for three to five years, they can't really do much.
For example, my family lives in a New York County with fairly small and spread out Jewish population. I was thrilled when we found a Conservative synagogue (how I grew up) with a young, engaging Rabbi who was also married to a Rabbi who spearheaded so many wonderful programs at the shul and in the greater community. More over, my husband, who is new to Judaism, really connected with the temple Rabbi and we felt we had found our spiritual home, even if it was a bit of a hike from our home.
After five years, the Rabbi left. The synagogue got a new Rabbi, and five years later she left as well. Yes there were other factors, but this revolving door of clergy can't be ignored.
Now let's compare this with Chabad. When they come to a community, they stay there. They immerse themselves within the Jewish population and work hard to grow. We have two Chabads that have active Hebrew schools and numerous programs. Recently, both moved into larger centers. Yes, I understand the monetary appeal, but you can't put a price on community building.
We are now members of a Reform shul, which also has built a community through the help of its long-serving Rabbi. It is also where my family as a whole is happiest, even if it took me some getting used to in terms of its different approach to ritual. The irony though, is I would argue this congregation is MORE engaged in prayer and more knowledgeable of Judaism than most of my peers who are members of Conservative synagogues.
To sum up. I think the Conservative movement should invest in helping young Rabbis build smaller congregations. This can be done by supplementing their salaries, offering busing to Jewish schools for their kids (if desired), and other forms of support. It won't solve every issue you mention, but it can't hurt.
Very thoughtful response, thanks!
Appreciate you saying so!
Wow, I don't think there are adequate words for how much I hate this take. Your myopic perception of Judaism as only being "correct" if it's explicitly Liberal/progressive/Reform/secular erases any of the middle ground that currently exists between a generally non-religious Reform practice and the hyper-religious practice of Chabad... THAT is what is obviously guaranteed to alienate more Jewish people who seek something in the middle.
I love how allergic you are to the term "conservative" as if it was a dirty word... well, Jill, has it occurred to you that some people may not like the term "Reform" (or Liberal, or progressive, or secular) for the opposite but same reason? When I hear the term "Reform" I feel nauseated by the suggestion that there is something innately wrong with Judaism that needs fixing.
Cut the length of services... lol. Why go at all? Why not read a few articles from Democracy Now! since Judaism to you seems bizarrely synonymous with social justice? That or throwing a brick at a Hobby Lobby should suffice in lieu of the exhausting attention that would be commanded by having to sit through some extra prayers.
Totally agree with the notion that synagogue funding models must change, but then you propose an a la carte model? Lmao Jill, I really don't think we could see further from one another on almost anything, but wowie you can't even think critically enough here to embrace what would theoretically be an actually positive leftist sentiment -- how about instead of treating shul like a vending machine, you keep the investment in community (like Chabad does) but offer a pay-what-you-can model for membership (and allow members with more means to help subsidize the costs of others through donations)?
Perhaps more than anything, I'm appalled by your proposal for Jewish education. I am in awe of how your brain works that you would do away with Hebrew or any religious Jewish education in favor of simply a preemptive "here's how to deal with propaganda about Israel" crash course? Why not both lmao did that really never cross your mind?
I feel like you're going to block me and I appreciate your commitment to Israel, second only to your commitment to anonymously spreading your dogmatic Liberalism, but you clearly aren't particularly connected to Judaism in a religious or spiritual way, and it's amazing to me that as you acknowledge the very secular, religiously and spiritually dissociative situation that has brought Jews away from Judaism and Israel, you propose an approach that drives an ever further wedge between traditional Judaism and diasporic Jews.
Frankly, reading your post and knowing how many Reform Jews across the diaspora agree with you (most of whom really don't have a strong connection to Israel or Judaism anymore), I feel physically ill. It makes me wonder if g-d is punishing us for moving so far away from our covenant, worshipping and audaciously repackaging as "Jewish" a smattering of contemporary Liberal ideologies as fundamentally sanctioned and ordered by g-d/Judaism (they are not).
Perhaps we deserve this identity crisis, because of people like you who see plainly the problems modern Jewry faces, and instead of desiring to remember what it means to be a Jew, you look for solutions in the most assimilated, secular, convenient and easy spaces that will in time, make you and your likely non-Jewish or at best ambivalently Jewish progeny (and then non-Jewish in the next generation) somehow even more likely to turn their backs on Judaism.
It sickens me that you think what you wrote above is a solution. Like I am genuinely in awe and sad and disgusted by the number of people reading this and thinking that you have written something at all wise or productive.
https://substack.com/@mmosner/p-146318235
You are welcome to disagree, Mallory, and I would never block you or anyone else for doing so. What I do take issue with, however, is your suggestion that I “don’t have a strong connection to Judaism anymore.” That is patently false. I just posted a follow up article today emphasizing our need to disavow anti-Zionists. I think you may find more agreement with me there.
I’m with you, Jill. Honestly the main reason I feel connected to my roots is because of Jewish overnight camp. That’s also why my daughter feels connected to it as well. I could complain about the lack of spirituality that drove me to Buddhism like many Jews but I digress. I am posting an essay about this tomorrow.
We’ve always had a PR problem. I like your idea of arming our community with the truth because we are made into political pawns at every turn whether we like it or not.
Appreciate the thoughtful response!
Jill, another good piece and a timely subject for many. I must say, I am a bit envious that you had a schul/synagogue to attend growing up, even with the boring Hebrew School. I had a different journey as both of my parents did not want to associate with any Synagogue. However, I was always told that I was Jewish, we did observe the main holidays, and about it. Guess my parents, as survivors, did not feel comfortable. We only had one synagogue in town, and that was Temple Beth Shalom, and I guess for Las Vegas, that was it. You are right, most of the damage is self-inflicted. There is hope, I am attaching a link to an interesting Documentary, "Front Line Warriors"
https://frontlinewarriorsfilm.com/?source=ac&utm_source=email&utm_medium=ac&utm_id=aish.com&playlist=f16a0fb&video=85940cc
Those who stood up to the Hamas supporters. Let me know if it does not open.
Had we grown up at the same time, I probably would have been super jealous of you for not having to attend Hebrew school while I was forced to! haha
Hmm we could have changed places……..lol
I’ve been in both conservative and modern orthodox movements. I agree there has to be another ‘hook’ bringing in people and keeping them…. Breaking apart services into Torah study groups instead of musaf? Sending out questions regarding the Torah chapter before Shabbat as an organizing resource for the study? I mean like 15 minutes. Not more. Some more spirituality with song and beauty esp for Friday nights.
If your approach to Jewish education is, "People are going to tell the most vicious lies about you on social media, so here's what to say back to them," you are going to push those children straight out the door. Who wants to sign up for a club that consists purely in being hated by other people?
Jewish children need to be taught to take pride in being part of perhaps the longest continuous civilisational story in the world (certainly the longest in the Western world), a civilisation that produced visionaries and prophets, mystics and philosophers, saints and pietists, poets, thinkers and dreamers. A civilisation that discovered the moral foundations on which the West stands and which wrote many of the stories through which its values are expressed. A civilisation that also gave comfort, meaning and purpose to the lives of millions of ordinary Jews living through some of the worst times the world has ever seen. A well that is constantly full no matter how much you drink from it. (And, yes, that to understand 90% of it, you have to be able to read Hebrew.)
You seem to think that the values you outline in your 2nd paragraph go against what I’m suggesting here. They don’t. Had the jews currently being absorbed by the antisemitic rhetoric we are seeing had the tools you describe, they would not be party to it in the first place. That is my entire point.
I strongly disagree.
I grew up in a conservative synagogue and although I’m a non practicing jew, I’m deeply grateful that my understanding and my connection to judaism is solidly grounded in that.
When Ive ever experienced reform congregations I feel like im in a church. It has an entirely different feel to it.. stripped of it’s depth and meaning and cultural resonance… and today, I see that the ‘as a Jews’ who are primarily concerned with gaslighting the rest of ys about what’s happening in Israel and what antisemitism looks like come almost entirely from that stripped down version of judaism.
Reformed judaism to me looks like the end of judaism.