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The Big Tent Judaism Blog
containing up-to-the-minute news about the efforts of the Big Tent Judaism Coalition and other programs and events within the Jewish community that open our tent...
Monthly Archives
Under One Roof
There has been a mini-explosion in the last couple of years of what are called “independent minyanim.” These are Jewish prayer gatherings that take place outside of not just the physical space of a synagogue, but outside of any movement, too. And it appears that most of those who attend independent minyanim are folks who grew
up in the Conservative movement. Rabbi Jerome Epstein, executive vice president of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ), recently wrote an opinion piece explaining that these prayer groups should have a home inside of Conservative synagogues:
“If we want to grow in numbers and strength, if we want to inspire passion and commitment, we have to welcome those Jews who live our values and ideology outside of our synagogues to do it inside our synagogues instead.”
That would be great for all Jews who for one reason or another have chosen to disengage from the community – including intermarried families and adult children of intermarriage. We know there are thousands of intermarried couples and their adult children who live the “values and ideology” of the Conservative movement and would probably love to do so with a congregation, but still feel there “is no place for them and their Judaism in the Conservative synagogue.”
But there is plenty of room. Rabbi Epstein makes the distinction between “synagogues” and “congregations” by saying a synagogue is an actual space, but a congregation is more of a community. What would happen, he asks, if we invite all of these independent groups – these alternative congregations – to pray together under one synagogue roof? There would be a “diversity of style,” but wouldn’t Judaism benefit from a willingness to engage all those on the periphery?
Rabbi Epstein makes an impassioned plea for inclusion, and he “has pressed for new openness toward intermarried families, actively reaching out to patrilinial and potential Jews,” according to the USCJ website. We have worked with enough Conservative synagogues and congregations to know his ideas are spreading, and we certainly welcome his call for a more open Conservative movement.
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