The Sun Is Shining All Season Long at Beth Tzedec!
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
bulletin Beth Tzedec Bulletin volume 62, no. 4 | sivan 5773 • may 2013 | www.beth-tzedec.org The sun is shining all season long at Beth Tzedec! Jewish Songbook First Concert Annual Golf May 23 Tournament See p. 2 May 31 See p. 8 Prof. Stephen Berk Weekend May 23-26 See p. 16 Rabbi Chaya Rowen-Baker Farewell to Weekend Shinshinim June 13-15 Dinner June 14 See p. 22 See p. 30 With songs by: Starring Simon Spiro and The Broadway Singers Jerry Herman Irving Berlin accompanied by the fabulous Songbook Orchestra Burt Bacharach Stephen Sondheim Neil Diamond Rogers & Hammerstein Special appearance by the Voices of Tomorrow children’s Stephen Schwartz Cy Coleman choir and the Toronto Heschel Choir Sherman Brothers Lerner & Loewe Barry Manilow Frank Loesser THURSDAY, MAY 23 AT 7:30 PM Simon & Garfunkel Kander & Ebb THE GEORGE WESTON RECITAL HALL George & Ira Gershwin Harold Arlen AT THE TORONTO CENTRE FOR THE ARTS, 5040 YONGE STREET Neil Sedaka Leonard Cohen Lionel Bart Bob Dylan For tickets call Ticketmaster: Special Tribute to Marvin Hamlisch 1-855-985-2787 or visit www.tocentre.com VIP Packages Available For more information, contact Cantor Simon Spiro or Jo Swartz at 416-781-3511. 2 commentary Rabbi Baruch Frydman-Kohl Investing in Futures Synagogues are nimble institutions rabbi frydman-kohl’s Monday Night Learning classes W continue until June 3. See details on p.24. universities are not usually interested in the future Finding ways to lower operating costs by sharing space of religious institutions, and large synagogues are not and emphasizing voluntary giving may help synagogues. usually the places where conversations about With fewer young Jews, non-Orthodox congregations transformative change for religious communities take will have to reach out more effectively to singles, place. Yet the two largest congregations in Canada, unaffiliated Jews and “the disaffected children of the Beth Tzedec and Holy Blossom, joined with the Centre Orthodox”. for Jewish Studies of the University of Toronto to present The two respondents grew up at Beth Tzedec, and a two-part series to initiate discussion and debate about I am blessed to have a close relationship with each of the future of North American synagogues. The partnership them. Rabbi Miriam Margles of the Danforth Jewish was unusual, the theme challenging and the programs Circle said that alternative congregations attract people stimulating. who seek meaningful Jewish experiences but are Each evening was introduced by Prof. Jeffrey reluctant to enter mainstream synagogue life. “Indie Kopstein of the University and consisted of a distinguished minyanim” are more welcoming to Jews who seek thinker discussing “The End of the Synagogue as We serious spiritual exploration, but are politically, socially Know It?” followed by responses from two rabbis or sexually outside the usual community consensus. “If serving small Toronto-based congregations. The programs we want people to come to shul, they have to feel wel- drew guests from various synagogues interested in come, wanted and valued.” Rabbi Martin Lockshin of renewing or creating vibrant spiritual communities. The the Toronto Partnership Minyan spoke of trying to informal post-program discussions enabled leaders from “stir the pot and expand the roles of women” within synagogues—Reform and Orthodox, Conservative and Orthodoxy. He believes that established synagogues Reconstructionist—to share concerns, hopes and ideas should create a place within their walls for independent for the future. minyanim, an arrangement that can be mutually beneficial. In December, Jonathan Sarna of Brandeis University, During an April snowstorm, the paper prepared by the noted historian of American Jewry, initiated the Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman of Hebrew Union College was conversation at Beth Tzedec. He pointed to serious presented at Holy Blossom by Kopstein. Hoffman shifted financial, demographic and cultural issues that have the discussion from economics and demographics to contributed to a decline in synagogue affiliation and purpose and spirituality. Claiming that non-Orthodox membership. The economic slowdown in the United synagogues have been primarily ethnic communities with States resulted in congregations losing members and some religious trappings, he challenged them to “wrestle revenue. Late marriage, increased intermarriage and with God” and re-envision themselves as “sacred and fewer children being born have caused a demographic vital centres of Jewish life”. downturn with fewer Jews to connect to congregations. Hoffman argued that European churches have Social media have made it possible to meet friends on enjoyed state support while, in the United States, Facebook and Skype, “so they have no particular need to religious institutions compete in a free market. meet them in synagogue.” “As goes the church, so goes the synagogue.” The future Despite these challenges, Sarna optimistically stated for religious life in countries that privilege Orthodoxy, that “synagogues are nimble institutions” which will find such as Britain, France or Israel, is bleak as the official new ways to continue the religious heritage of Judaism. religion loses real contact with people while non- Synagogues will have to “focus on the value added by Orthodox synagogues find it hard to break in. real connections over virtual ones”, drawing upon In North America, synagogues constantly redefined shared food and good music to bring people together. their mission: fighting anti-Semitism, advocating for civil 3 commentary Rabbi Baruch Frydman-Kohl rights, saving Soviet Jews, supporting Israel, always with enabling leaders to follow, and followers to lead: life-cycle events, “ritualized demonstrations that family practicing collaborative leadership; (3) seeing both the ties still bind”. With fewer causes and more competition forest and the trees: creating community among diverse for life-cycle events, synagogues are challenged to adapt. individuals; (4) honoring the past while anticipating the To respond, synagogues must become communities that future: balancing tradition and change. go beyond a “pediatric religion that doesn’t have Rabbi Hoffman, originally from Canada, is an anything to offer adults.” To reach young adults, important thought-leader in this field. He and Ron synagogues must become “communities of meaning” Wolfson of the America Jewish University created providing “busy people [with] transcendent meaning Synagogue 3000 and Next Dor to help spiritual and spirituality”. communities to “get it” and connect to congregants in Two local rabbis continued the conversation. deep and meaningful ways. In 2006, Hoffman wrote Rabbi Aaron Levy of Makom: Creative Downtown Rethinking Synagogues: A New Vocabulary for Judaism, spoke about reaching younger Jews disinterested Congregational Life. As in his presentation at Holy in the perpetuation of Jewish peoplehood with Blossom, Hoffman calls for reframing synagogue life to “unabashed Jewish spirituality”. Rabbi Michal Shekel, preserve Judaism as a serious system of belief and action, of Or Hadash in Newmarket and Executive Director of rather than as vestigial “ethnic nostalgia with trimmings the Toronto˙ Board of Rabbis, said that synagogues have of outward demonstrations and ritual observance”. a core agenda: “Torah, tefillah, kehillah.” Serious study, Sacred Strategies (2010) is about congregations that prayer and programs of justice and compassion are have gone from hol to kodesh, commonplace to essential to the creation of sustainable communities. extraordinary. Isa˙ Aron, Steven Cohen, Larry Hoffman Rabbi Yael Splansky and I added some comments and Ari Kelman identified six middot (qualities) that about how our large congregations are trying to meet amazing congregations exhibit: sacred purpose, holistic these challenges. She mentioned that synagogues strive to ethos, participatory culture, meaningful engagement, be economically inclusive while appreciating the support innovation disposition, and reflective leadership and of financial elites. I explained that I became convinced governance. These characteristics come into play in the that “If Jewish life is going to succeed in North America, central aspects of synagogue life: worship, study, we have to make it succeed in these large communities.” community and social justice. Visionary congregations These programs paralleled discussions that I have had are entrepreneurial, experimental and committed with other rabbis and synagogue leaders at the Kellogg to something better than simply responding to the School at Northwestern, the Hartman Institute, maintenance needs of their members. They offer a think-tanks at the Jewish Theological Seminary, the religious vision, serious prayer, learning opportunities United Synagogue and the Rabbinical Assembly, and and a means to engage in acts of kindness. private conversations with thought-leaders at the Alban Hayim Herring was the Executive Director of STAR Institute, Synagogue 3000 and other organizations (Synagogue Transformation and Renewal). In devoted to the future of congregational life. Tomorrow's Synagogue Today: Creating Vibrant Centres A spate of books has been written over the past of Jewish Life (2012), he calls for synagogues to go decade on the subject. In 2003, Sidney Schwarz beyond incremental change to really transform the published Finding a Spiritual Home: How a New lives of people. He discusses collaboration with other Generation of Jews Can Transform the American congregations, other Jewish institutions (locally