Synagogues in a Time of Change

Fragmentation and Diversity in Jewish Religious Movements

Edited by Zachary I. Heller - Contributions by David B. Starr; Lawrence Grossman; Sanford Seltzer; Rodney L. Petersen; Rabbi David Ellenson; Arnold M. Eisen; Dr. David M. Gordis; Rela Mintz Geffen; Hayim Herring; Jonathan Woocher; Arthur Green; Carl A. Sheingold; Sanford Cardin; Judy Beck; Clifford Kulwin; Cheri Scheff Levitan; Moshe Waldoks; Zachary I. Heller; Gordon Tucker and Jeremy S. Morrison

The synagogue remains a central institution in Jewish life as a place of study, worship, and assembly, but each day brings word of a new challenging development within each of the larger movements to which synagogues belong—Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist. Jewish religious communities today share a number of challenges, from the increase in secular or unaffiliated Jews to emerging Jewish spiritual communities forming outside the synagogue. There has never been a more compelling need for a wide-ranging discussion of the diverse issues facing American Judaism.
Brought together by Zachary I. Heller, associate director of the National Center for Jewish Policy Studies, and an editorial team which included Rabbis David Gordis, Hayim Herring, and Sanford Seltzer, twenty of the leading Jewish thinkers—rabbis, scholars, authors, professors, activists, and experts in the study of the American synagogue—have contributed to this comprehensive collection of essays. Each writer brings unique expertise and perspective in describing the development of contemporary religious movements (denominations) in American Judaism, their interrelationships and tensions, and their prospects for the future. Their combined voices create a timely discussion of the many urgent issues bearing down on American synagogues.
Contributors to Synagogues in a Time of Change take on the changing dynamics of synagogue life, its organization into movements, and the organic changes taking place that are causing those movements to lose their coherence and strength, both internally and as an attractive force for seekers of Jewish religious tradition and expression. They address the current fiscal issues that face the movement organizations and the broader questions of their future stability as well as their significance and continued relevance to individual congregations. Ultimately, the book is a catalyst for personal reflection and public discussion on the past, present and future of the American synagogue.
The issues faced by Judaism in America are not unique to Jewish religious movements. Many of the issues facing synagogues will be familiar to those of all faiths. Indeed, the book includes an essay by Rodney L. Petersen of the Boston Theological Institute on denominationalism, nondenominationalism, and postdenominationalism in American Christian communities that helps us see these parallels. Religious groups of all kinds will find reflections of common struggles that can provide a vehicle for constructive conversations about their own pressing issues.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers / Alban Books

Pages: 266 •

978-1-56699-389-0 • Paperback • June 2009 • $32.00 • (£25.00)

978-1-56699-643-3 • eBook • June 2009 • $30.00 • (£25.00)

Subjects: Religion / Leadership

Synagogues in a Time of Change

Fragmentation and Diversity in Jewish Religious Movements

Paperback

eBook

Summary

The synagogue remains a central institution in Jewish life as a place of study, worship, and assembly, but each day brings word of a new challenging development within each of the larger movements to which synagogues belong—Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist. Jewish religious communities today share a number of challenges, from the increase in secular or unaffiliated Jews to emerging Jewish spiritual communities forming outside the synagogue. There has never been a more compelling need for a wide-ranging discussion of the diverse issues facing American Judaism.
Brought together by Zachary I. Heller, associate director of the National Center for Jewish Policy Studies, and an editorial team which included Rabbis David Gordis, Hayim Herring, and Sanford Seltzer, twenty of the leading Jewish thinkers—rabbis, scholars, authors, professors, activists, and experts in the study of the American synagogue—have contributed to this comprehensive collection of essays. Each writer brings unique expertise and perspective in describing the development of contemporary religious movements (denominations) in American Judaism, their interrelationships and tensions, and their prospects for the future. Their combined voices create a timely discussion of the many urgent issues bearing down on American synagogues.
Contributors to Synagogues in a Time of Change take on the changing dynamics of synagogue life, its organization into movements, and the organic changes taking place that are causing those movements to lose their coherence and strength, both internally and as an attractive force for seekers of Jewish religious tradition and expression. They address the current fiscal issues that face the movement organizations and the broader questions of their future stability as well as their significance and continued relevance to individual congregations. Ultimately, the book is a catalyst for personal reflection and public discussion on the past, present and future of the American synagogue.
The issues faced by Judaism in America are not unique to Jewish religious movements. Many of the issues facing synagogues will be familiar to those of all faiths. Indeed, the book includes an essay by Rodney L. Petersen of the Boston Theological Institute on denominationalism, nondenominationalism, and postdenominationalism in American Christian communities that helps us see these parallels. Religious groups of all kinds will find reflections of common struggles that can provide a vehicle for constructive conversations about their own pressing issues.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers / Alban Books

Pages: 266 •

978-1-56699-389-0 • Paperback • June 2009 • $32.00 • (£25.00)

978-1-56699-643-3 • eBook • June 2009 • $30.00 • (£25.00)

Subjects: Religion / Leadership

Author

Rabbi Zachary I. Heller was a congregational rabbi for over thirty years before joining the National Center for Jewish Policy Studies as associate director. He has served in several international leadership roles, including as president of the World Council of Conservative/Masorti Synagogues, and has lectured and taught in twenty-two countries from Russia and the Ukraine to Australia. Among his recent publications is Re-envisioning the Synagogue.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction, Zachary I. Heller

PART 1: The History and Context of Jewish Religious Life in America

Chapter 1: History as Prophecy: Narrating the American Synagogue, David B. Starr

Chapter 2: Denominations in American Judaism: The Dynamics of Their Relationships, Lawrence Grossman

Chapter 3: Denominationalism and Its Discontents: The Changing Face of Synagogue Affiliation, Sanford Seltzer

Chapter 4: American Dissonance: Christian Communities in the United States and Their Cultural Context, Rodney L. Petersen

PART 2: Fragmentation or Diversity?

Chapter 5: Thoughts on American Jewish Denominationalism Today: Culture and Identity, David Ellenson

Chapter 6: Thoughts on American Jewish Denominationalism Today: A Tradition of Unity and Diversity, Arnold M. Eisen

Chapter 7: Jewish Denominations: Transformation or Demise?, David M. Gordis

Chapter 8: Postdenominational American Judaism: Reality or Illusion?, Rela Mintz Geffen

PART 3: Prescriptions

Chapter 9: Synagogue Renewal in an Age of Extreme Choice: Anything, Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere, Hayim Herring

Chapter 10: Jewish Education: Postdenominationalism and the Continuing Influence of Denominations, Jonathan Woocher

Chapter 11: Rabbinic Training and Transdenominationalism: Some Personal Perspectives, Arthur Green

PART 4: Personal Reflections and Community Stories

Chapter 12: Reconciling Individualism and Community: A Common Challenge, Carl A. Sheingold

Chapter 13: A Personal Reflection on Contemporary Trends in American Judaism, Sanford (Sandy) Cardin

Chapter 14: Challenges to Jewish Community, Judy Beck

Chapter 15: Does a Synagogue Need a Denomination?, Clifford Kulwin

Chapter 16: Same Shul, New Shul: Affiliation and Focus, Cheri Scheff Levitan

Chapter 17: The TBZ Story, Moshe Waldoks

PART 5: Independents and the Transitional Generation

Chapter 18: A New Generation of Seekers, Zachary I. Heller

Chapter 19: On Independent Jewish Communities and the Movements, Gordon Tucker

Chapter 20: The Riverway Project: One Model for Reaching a New Generation of Young Adults, Jeremy S. Morrison

Notes
Glossary
Contributors

Reviews

For anyone interested in the American Jewish experience and the challenges we face, this book is a must read. It covers the passage of responsibility for the preservation of distinctively Jewish life from the 'gemeinschaft' of 19th century Germany to the synagogues in America today. Gone are Jewish neighborhoods, businesses and other common Jewish endeavors, leaving the synagogue as the focal point for most Jews. The denominations—Modern Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist—are closely examined, but non-denominational synagogues and other groupings such as the Havurot and such Orthodox outreach programs as Chabad and Aish Ha Torah also get a nod. Throughout its long history Judaism has absorbed ideas from other cultures and re-interpreted them in the Jewish idiom. Nowhere is this more evident than in the form and content of synagogue life in America today. Rabbi Heller and the other distinguished essayists tell the story as no one else has.
— Alfred H. Moses

Do denominations matter? In this timely and provocative volume—part description, part prescription, part analysis, part case-study—some of American Jewry’s most effervescent minds wrestle with this vital question. Their contributions, no two alike, paint a vivid portrait of synagogue life today: fractious, fast-changing, and fecund. Judaism in the years ahead may be 'nondenominational,' 'transdenominational,' 'postdenominational,' or just plain 'denominational,' this book suggests, but in the final analysis the future depends upon vibrant and successful synagogues. Memorable chapters introduce us to some of those synagogues, and to their strategies for revitalizing American Jewish life.
— Jonathan D. Sarna, Brandeis University

This volume which considers the question do denominations matter could not have come at a more opportune moment. All who care about forging a path toward a robust, financially secure, and meaningful future for American Jewish life will be drawn to the thought-provoking essays in this volume. Many of the brightest and most effective Jewish leaders on the contemporary scene offer historical reflections, personal observations, and incisive insights into the venues, demographics and sensibilities that hold the key to the renaissance of synagogue life that is so essential to the vitality of American Jewry.
— Shuly Rubin Schwartz, Associate Professor of American Jewish History and Dean of the Albert A. List College of Jewish Studies, Jewish Theological Seminary of America

Synagogues in a Time of Change

Fragmentation and Diversity in Jewish Religious Movements

Synagogues in a Time of Change

Fragmentation and Diversity in Jewish Religious Movements

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