Synagogue 3000: A Concurring Dissent; Or, Of Babies and Bathwater

I feel compelled to respond to this interesting debate, both as a Jew and as a Jewish professional. I am the Director of Congregational Engagement for Synagogue 3000, which means that I spend my days trying to understand and help rabbis and cantors in the field combat the terrifying reality that Steven Cohen explains to us: We’re losing Jews. I am a proud alum of the STAR Peer Rabbinic Fellowship, the Marshall T. Meyer Rabbinic Fellowship and the CLAL Internship– all of which provided me with incredible opportunities (and mentors) to re- envision my rabbinate. Several years ago, Naomi Meyer, wife of Rabbi Marshall T. Meyer z”l invited the rabbinic fellows in the program bearing her visionary husband’s name to her home to talk about the future of Judaism. “What keeps you up at night?” Naomi asked each one of us. Uncharacteristic for me, I sat in the circle in silence.

I had no answer to her question because i still believed that creative davenning and beautiful music on Shabbat would save the Jewish people. Naomi posed the question seven years ago– and only now do I have an answer: I am terrified that there will be no Jews left– maybe even in my lifetime. Unlike my grandparents, who survived the horrors of the Shoah, it is not the annihilation of the Jewish people from an outside evil force that I most fear. It is the fact that my generation and the generation growing up after me simply doesn’t care to protect and cherish our ancient traditions, texts or customs. And worse yet– we don’t even care to use the incredible system of change, evolution and reevaluation of Judaism which has always been at the core of our religion.

Rabbi Skolnik, I honor your struggle to determine if we should change davenning or davenners. You ask a very important question: Are we allowing the tail to wag the dog? Meaning– are we so desperate to hold on to people that we’ll do anything at all that looks a tiny bit
Jewish– and say it’s sufficient– as long as people will still show
up? And I respect the different viewpoints represented by many of my
teachers in the thoughtful responses to your concern. But– I think your question is only the tip of the iceberg. The real issue here is not whether people feel obligated to pray and how accessible to make our services.

Let’s be honest: In generations past, people were willing to give their lives for Judaism. Gd forbid anyone is ever faced with that choice again. But I ask you: If the struggle at Masada, the Spanish Inquisition or the Shoah were to take place today, would anyone declare their Judaism central to their existence? Or would most Jews say “my grandparents were Jewish but I practice Buddhist meditation and have a Hindu mind-body spirituality and a deep sense of empathy for the Palestinians… I’m not a member of a tribe, I’m a citizen of the world” ? We are assimilating ourselves out of existence– maybe not, as Steven Cohen suggests, because of intermarriage, but rather, because of that which allows interfaith marriage: our profound education in all subjects but Judaism.

We, Jewish educators, have failed the Jewish people by not educating them. It’s not just about davenning; it’s not just about Hebrew; it’s not just about halacha. Why should American Jews come into the beautiful synagogues we’ve built to listen to the beautiful music we’ve written, when we’ve failed to show them how truly exquisite Judaism is? So many of the Jews out there have no idea what they’re throwing away– because they don’t know what it is that they have. It is easier for us to debate superficial questions– Hebrew or English? mixed seating or separate? instruments or not?–than to recognize the real problem.

The Minquass tribe in New Mexico teaches: “If the eyes had no tears, the soul would have no rainbow.” Does anyone care enough to cry? I certainly hope so, because the rainbow is Gd’s promise that there will be a future.