Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman

Parashat Ki Tissa, 2010

Nature and culture are the twin poles of human existence. Nature is how the world greets us in raw beauty, promise and power. Culture is how we partner with it, riding its sound waves with music, converting wood and stone into homes, and carving ski slopes out of mountain snow. Other animals too sing, build and play. But we do it through what anthropologists call culture: political parties, religious denominations, and shopping malls. We have no say over nature. But the culture we produce can make life worth living or crush us altogether.

Nature runs wild. Culture is nature set aside, contained, and controlled by human design. Judaism addresses them both, with, among other things, the commandment to wash.

The Jewish interface with nature is the mikveh, water that is retained in its natural flowing condition. It is regenerative. It prepares us for Shabbat, propels a woman beyond her menstrual period, and confirms converts as newly Jewish.

The Jewish interface with culture is ritual handwashing. Just the opposite of mikveh, it requires water extracted from nature and reserved in a basin. It is, as it were, "culturalized" water,  a perfect example of "nature set aside, contained, and controlled by human design."  Mikveh (water in its natural state) is to nature as handwashing (water culturally reserved) is to culture. We treat handwashing as merely hygienic, but it too is supposed to be regenerative.

To be sure, Jewish handwashing is hygienic in part. Fifteen hundred years ago, the Talmud grasped the connection between hands and sickness. It knew nothing of bacteria, of course, and thought sickness from unwashed hands was due to an evil spirit that dwelt there. But it correctly knew that touching the mouth, nose, or open sores (the Talmud's own examples) without washing is dangerous. 

In addition, however, Jewish handwashing symbolizes spiritual regeneration. Mishnah B'rurah puts it succinctly, giving us "two views" as to why we wash in the morning. "The Rosh [Asher ben Yechiel , 1250-1327] wrote that hands are askaniyot ["active"]; they cannot help but touch filthy body parts at night.... The Rashba [Solomon ibn Adret, 1235-1310] held that it is because we awaken from sleep as if created anew." Neither authority is referring to disease here. Their concern is that we pray in an appropriate state: cleansed of bodily filth, for the Rosh; as if reborn, to the Rashba. Either way, we wash not just to stay healthy.  And for the Rashba, the handwashing that represents culture is regenerative.

Humans culturalize nature with institutions. The tabernacle is the Jewish institution par excellence, the model for the way human culture should recreate us, not destroy, us. Appropriately, the mandate for handwashing from culturally reserved water that is poured from a vessel is modeled on the priests' basin that the tabernacle contained.  The priests wash there, says our sedra "so that they do not die." Our institutions should follow that example.  Even without the actual water to remind us, they should be enlivening not deadening, to those who, like the priest, work in them.

That is not what boards of Jewish institutions report. Meetings are often desultory at best, litigious at worst - even downright nasty. They can be life-depleting, not life-enhancing. Committee assignments are like life sentences. Volunteers are hard to find.

But that is not the Jewish way. Jewish organizational life should be like the handwashing that characterized the original Jewish institution, the Temple. Working there should make those who serve it feel reborn. This is especially true of synagogues, the successor institution to the desert tabernacle and to the Temple that succeeded it.  If our synagogue committee or board meetings run us down or wear us out, something is wrong. We should return home from meetings charged by the good we have done, moved by the devotion of fellow board members, and elated by seeing human initiative at its best solving problems at their worst.

Nachmanides finds kabbalistic meaning in ritual handwashing. Our ten fingers represent the ten sefirot, the ten divine emanations through which blessing reaches us from on high. When we finish washing, we hold our fingers upwards as if reaching for blessing which flows through ritually purified hands into our lives.

Mikveh too brings kabbalistic blessing, but through nature - the place we usually associate with divine presence. God created nature, after all, not institutions. But we are God's continuing agents of creation, and we create the institutions where blessing continues even after God's own work is done. What a concept! Boards, task forces and committees are our own God-like work. They should wash our souls, purify our spirits, and bring us blessing.

The following is the installation speech of Steve Croft, incoming President of Congregation Beth Yeshurun in Houston, Texas, the largest synagogue in the Conservative movement.

I want to start by telling you a story---

A long time ago there was a young man, in his early 30's, very shy, who was ASKED to join the new Beth Yeshurun Young Leadership Group.

He didn't know much about it, he thought he would enjoy it, so he said "yes."

Next, this young man was ASKED to join the membership committee.

He didn't know much about it, he thought he would enjoy it, so he said "yes."

After several years he was ASKED to serve on the Board of Trustees.

He was a bit intimidated but nevertheless felt honored to serve.

He didn't know much about it, he thought he would enjoy it, so he said "yes."

Next, he gets a call from the President, Joe Rice, and Joe ASKED him to serve as Chairman of the High Holy Days Committee.

He didn't know much about it, he thought he would enjoy it, so he said "yes."

A few years go by and he gets a call from the Past President, Bob Komorn the chairman of the nominating committee, Bob ASKED him to serve as Vice President on the Executive Committee.

He didn't know much about it, he thought he would enjoy it, so he said "yes."

I'm sure you have figured out by now, that shy young man was me. Now I am standing before you as your President. I was ASKED to get involved.

I'd bet that there are many others like me.

They want to get involved, they think they would enjoy it, but they hesitate. 

Maybe they don't know what will be expected of them or they don't know the time commitment, or they don't know if they will fit in. They are waiting to be ASKED.  If you are waiting to be ASKED, well, I am personally ASKING you to get involved. I want to make sure that it is easy for you to get involved here at Beth Yeshurun by defining what will be expected of you, and providing the support and encouragement you need.  We are fortunate to have great volunteers here at Beth Yeshurun like tonight's honorees Vicky and Michael Richker. Volunteering at Beth Yeshurun is meaningful and if you are like me and many others you will enjoy it!

In this week's Torah portion, T'rumah God says: Ve'asu li mikdash veshachanti betocham.  "Build me a Sanctuary that I may Dwell among them." You may recognize these words. They are inscribed on the wall of the Freedman-Levit Sanctuary. Listen carefully: "Build me a Sanctuary that I may dwell AMONG THEM". Not "that I may dwell IN IT" but "AMONG THEM." I interpret this to mean God's presence is not found in a building. It is found in the hearts and souls of the people who fill the building with prayers and hopes, joys and sorrows. In other words, Beth Yeshurun is a "Kehillah Kedosha," a sacred community. During my term as president, I would like to build on the efforts initiated by our immediate past President, Stuart Wilson, by strengthening Beth Yeshurun as a Kehillah Kedosha: a warm, caring, sacred community. To some, Beth Yeshurun may appear too big or cold.

Throughout the past 2 years, Stuart has made strengthening relationships and creating a warm and caring environment here at Beth Yeshurun a high priority.  Last year, Stuart invited Dr. Ron Wolfson to speak at Beth Yeshurun.  Ron is a Professor at American Jewish University and Author of "The Spirituality of Welcoming." Ron served as Rubenfeld Scholar in Residence, spoke to the congregation, to the ATID Leadership group and led a Board retreat. As a result of Ron's visit, Stuart formed the Kehillah Committee to enhance Beth Yeshurun's warm and caring environment. Mark Hochstein and Sheryl Androphy have done a wonderful job as founding chairs of this committee. We have Shabbat Greeters, a welcoming table, board members are identified with name tags. We are off to a wonderful start thanks to Stuart's leadership. I hope you help us by joining us on the Kehillah Committee. I am ASKING you to volunteer. We have many new initiatives planned to strengthen the relationships among our members and between our members and Beth Yeshurun.

As the largest synagogue in the Conservative movement, Beth Yeshurun is truly a leader.  When you look around, you see a dynamic, lively, vibrant community thanks to our wonderful clergy, lay leaders, staff, and members. 

However, I want to share with you my concern regarding the future of the Conservative movement and our synagogue.  Nationwide, the Conservative movement is in a state of decline while Orthodox and Reform Judaism are growing.  This decline is due to:

• Greater acceptance of interfaith families by the Reform Movement.
• Aging of our membership-less than 10% are young adults
• Through our low key approach to young adult learning and outreach, we've, in effect, allowed other groups, especially Orthodox, to fill the void and create opportunities in which our young adults participate. We should be maximizing our activities in these areas both as a natural part of our synagogue's programs and as a statement about the vibrancy of Conservative Judaism.

In terms of our children, the fact is, we, as parents can do everything-send our kids to Jewish Preschool, Day School, or Religious School, Jewish camps and Israel-and yet, when our children come back as 20-30 year olds, we fail to meet their needs.  Young people often comment, "The synagogue doesn't have enough programming for people my age." 

Likewise, I've heard comments from parents and older members-"Don't worry, they will join when they have children and need a preschool or a religious school."  The fact is that young adults are marrying later and later.  By the time they have children and find the need to join, they may be in their mid 30's or even 40's.  Think about it-a period of 10 to 20 years may elapse after college before they find the need to affiliate. In the meantime, they may become uncomfortable with synagogue life or Judaism as a whole, and choose not to affiliate at all.

Another comment I've heard is that young people just aren't interested.  Do you really believe that?  The young people I've spoken with are looking for ways to make Jewish friends, are eager to expand their knowledge of Judaism, and they want to feel part of a Jewish Community.

We must accept the challenge of developing outreach and additional programming for these young adults to assure continuity of our movement.  We must follow the example set by several model programs around the country, including Ron Wolfson's "Next Dor."  I am ASKING for your help, support, and input to accomplish this goal.

Please give me a few moments to express my appreciation to some deserving people:

First, to the Annual Dinner and Meeting chairs Linda and Gordon Franklin and Mark and Mardi Kunik: Thank you! You have put together a wonderful evening and I appreciate all of your hard work.

Second, to Judy Yambra and the nominating committee: Thank you! I know it was challenging making selections with so many qualified candidates from which to choose.  Great Job!

In closing, I would like to take a few more moments to recognize my family.  Many of you knew my parents, Louis and Ida Croft, of blessed memory.  They were a unique couple-born on the same day, in the same year, and in the same hospital!  They were married at Adath Yeshurun, the forerunner of Beth Yeshurun, and were married for 51 years.  I remember my dad was very active in B'nai B'rith. Both of my parents volunteered numerous hours in the Ben Taub hospital gift shop.  My mom made sure we had Shabbat dinner every week, and celebrated all of the holidays. It was important to her that we remain close with both immediate and extended family.

I don't think either one of my parents would have believed that their shy baby boy would be here tonight being installed as president of Beth Yeshurun. Yet, I am here because of them and the values they instilled in me: Judaism, Community, and Family.  I think of them often and know how proud they would be.

I'm grateful to have my family here with me tonight, including:

• My brother and sister in law Harry and Benay Croft from San Antonio
• My sister and brother in law Rochelle and Lee Wunsch, themselves members of Beth Yeshurun
• Aunt Lynn and Uncle Allan Minsky from Dallas
• My brother in law and sister in law Jerald and Jennifer Goldstein also from Dallas
• Aunt Florence Levinson and Cousin Ilene Levinson from Austin
• My brother in law and sister in law Bobby and Suzanne Goldstein, also members of Beth Yeshurun
• And, numerous other cousins and relatives from the Houston area.

I am so happy that all 3 of my children are here to share this special evening:

• My daughter Robyn, a 10^th grader at EWS
• Jeffrey, a sophomore at UT Austin
• And, Joel, a senior at American University in D.C.

 Adele and I are so lucky to have such incredible, wonderful children. We are so proud of you and love you very much.

Last, but not least, Adele. I cannot believe that it has been almost a quarter of a century we were married in the Sanctuary just yards away. Although I may not say it as often as I should, I love you very, very much. Thank you so much for your love and support and for letting me take on this responsibility.

"Build ME a sanctuary that I may dwell among them."

Tonight, I hope we all feel the presence of the Almighty AMONG US in THIS sacred place and in THIS sacred community. My hope and prayer is that God will grant good health, wisdom and strength to all of us, the officers, the Board of Trustees, the clergy, the staff and the congregants so that we may be able to attain our goals and fulfill our mission as a Kehillah Kedosha.

From Jewish people to Jewish purpose: The new age of social innovation in American Jewish life

Notes from a talk given by Prof. Steven M. Cohen at the Institute for Jewish Policy Research, London, UK, December 2 2009.

There has been an efflorescence of independent, exciting and creative collective Jewish activity carried out by young people in their 20s and 30s in the United States over the past decade. See, for example, The Continuity of Discontinuity: How Young Jews Are Connecting, Creating, and Organizing Their Own Jewish Lives by Steven M. Cohen and Ari Y. Kelman, Reboot, 2007. http://www.bjpa.org/Publications/details.cfm?PublicationID=327  

The new endeavors fit mainly into five major domains of activity, as follows:

1. Independent spiritual communities
These can be divided into two main categories: new independent minyanim (congregations led by volunteers); and rabbi-led ‘emergent communities', (rabbis starting their own congregations), both of which are non-Orthodox by definition.  Orthodox Jews have always created these types of minyanim; but for this to be happening outside of Orthodoxy is new.  The quality of davening (prayer) within these new communities is often exceptionally powerful and moving, and most represent an effective fusion of prayer, learning and social justice across the different compartments of Jewish life.  Two of the most interesting examples are Kehilat Hadar in New York, and Ikar in Los Angeles. See, for example, Emergent Jewish Communities and their Participants: Preliminary Findings from the 2007 National Spiritual Communities Study by Steven M. Cohen, J. Shawn Landres, Elie Kaunfer, Michelle Shain; S3K Synagogue Studies Institute and Mechon Hadar. http://www.bjpa.org/Publications/details.cfm?PublicationID=2828

2. Social justice
There has been sizeable growth in new organizations committed to social justice work. See, Visioning Justice and the American Jewish Community by Shifra Bronznick, Didi Goldenhar; Nathan Cummings Foundation, 2008. http://www.bjpa.org/Publications/details.cfm?PublicationID=819

It is striking that funding has grown so much that there may be a professional shortage in this area. 

One of the major debates within the field has been whether social justice work in the Jewish community should have an ulterior motive or not, i.e., whether initiatives should be established partly as a means to deepen engagement in Jewish life on the part of the volunteers, or purely for their own sake.  Probably the leading advocate of social justice work, Ruth Messinger, President of the American Jewish World Service, strongly supports the latter position. She has made clear that the guiding purpose must be to serve the beneficiary. Of course, in so doing, there will be additional Jewish educational and inspirational benefits for the participants. This emphasis on the primacy of purpose is another defining feature of much of the innovative work that is currently taking place.

3. Jewish culture
New Jewish magazines and record labels have been established which fuse together Jewish and non-Jewish culture in innovative and intriguing ways.  Of particular note are Heeb Magazine and JDub Records, to name just two illustrative phenomena. For others and for an assessment of the impact of Jewish cultural events, see Cultural Events and Jewish Identities: Young Adult Jews in New York by Steven M. Cohen and Ari Y. Kelman, UJA-Federation of New York, 2005. http://www.bjpa.org/Publications/details.cfm?PublicationID=2911

4. New media
The growth of Jewish culture may partly be attributed to the expansion of the Internet and the decline in production costs, spawning a "pro-am" movement in cultural endeavors of all sorts.  The Internet has allowed new music, videos and films to be produced and distributed at almost no cost.  Much of the recent Jewish innovation focuses on building websites, which typically empower Jews to create their own Jewish lives on their own terms.  As the Internet has become a two-way communications device, online innovations often allow users to participate in interesting Jewish activities that are free of any controlling authority.  Examples include online facilities that allow people to create their own siddurim (prayer books) or access midrashim (Biblical commentaries) in ways that enable Jews to discover traditional texts. 

5. Learning
Possibly the most significant learning initiative, which has had a huge impact on Jewish education in Britain, the US and across the Jewish world, is Limmud.  Its defining characteristics are that it allows Jews to take control of their own learning and Jewish life.  Any model of education that enables this age cohort to feel empowered in this way is likely to succeed.  Divrei Torah are becoming increasingly common, both as a practice and as a way to open meetings.

The ‘ABCD' of young American Jews
Young people are distancing themselves from aspects of the Judaism of their elders, and responding to what they see as its shortcomings. Embodied within the endeavors outlined above is both a widely held, albeit unevenly shared, critique of conventional Jewish life. The Jewishly engaged but institutionally unaffiliated harbor four objections to the commonly available opportunities for affiliation, objections that may be encapsulated in the mnemonic "ABCD.":

A = Alienating: The young people leading these initiatives feel alienated from the more conventional Jewish world, and wish to challenge many of its perceived norms by offering far more independence of thought and action.

B = Bland and Boring: This is how they view the Jewish lifestyle choices of the older generation. They see conventional leaders as too homogeneous, and disturbingly closed to diversity in social class and family status. The Judaism they seek is stimulating, upbeat, passionate and happy.

C = Coercive: The younger Jews find established Jewish institutions implicitly coercive - aiming to induce younger Jews to marry each other, to conceive Jewish babies and to support Israeli government policies of which they are ambivalent. By contrast, the initiatives they are creating are characterized by an emphasis on autonomy and the respect for individual growth. 

D = Divisive: They find conventional Jewish institutions divisive, in that they are seen as dividing Jews from non-Jews, Jews from each other, Jewish turf from non-Jewish turf, and Jewish culture from putatively (and artificially defined) non-Jewish culture. In contrast, they seek diversity in people, culture, and geography.  They tend toward the post-denominational.  Similarly, they like to open up the boundaries between Jewish and non-Jewish, borrowing freely from non-Jewish culture to create new forms of Jewish culture, and demonstrating clear preferences for activities that happen in non-Jewish spaces, rather than exclusively Jewish ones.

Why is all this happening now?

1. Demography
Half of all non-Orthodox American Jews in the 25-39 age group are unmarried, and this represents the largest population of young Jewish single adults ever.  This demographic is ill-suited to most traditional Jewish institutions such as synagogues and JCCs which focus on in-married Jewish couples with Jewish children.

2. Growth in Jewish education
The huge growth of Jewish education in the 1980s and 1990s - day schools, camps, Israel experience, etc - has created a vast pool of Jewish social and cultural capital.  When the graduates of these experiences fail to find their niche within existing initiatives and organizations, it is unsurprising that they should seek to create their own.

3. Growth of Non-Governmental Organizations
There has been a huge growth in NGOs and all kinds of self-initiated projects in the wider society in the past couple of decades, and one would expect this trend to be mirrored in the Jewish world.

4. Social acceptance
Greater Jewish integration into wider society and the decline of Jewish vulnerability are particularly important phenomena.  Being Jewish used to be a given, while being American was open to question. Today, being American is the given, while being Jewish is increasingly open to question.  Jewish exclusivity is regarded by the younger generation as increasingly problematic, and many within this demographic are reluctant to participate in Jewish communal activity if their non-Jewish partner is unwelcome.  Part of the wide appeal of Barack Obama to non-Orthodox Jews amongst this group was because of his stand against exclusivism and judgmentalism, and his desire to break down barriers between black and white, Republican and Democrat, etc. 

Warning

The community may well need to ‘change or die'.  The change agenda requires three components: a ‘wedge' - a critical image of contemporary reality, a ‘magnet' - a vision of how things could look, and a ‘bridge' - a means by which to move towards that vision.

Steven M Cohen, Director of Research for S3K, discussed the new age of social innovation in American Jewish life at a seminar for Jewish community professionals in December. The seminar was organized jointly by JPR and JHub, the London-based Jewish Social Action and Innovation Hub. The original reflection can be found at http://www.jpr.org.uk/news/detail.php?id=141