Big Tent Judaism

Jews in the Service

Due to the Diaspora, you can find members of the Jewish community in every corner of the earth, sometimes even in some of the world’s least accommodating communities. While some of these wandering Jews are descendants of long-established (but fading) Jewish communities, many are abroad alone, having traveled there for professional reasons. This is especially true for American Jews serving in war-torn countries like Iraq or Afghanistan, spots where identifying oneself as a Jew might not always be a good idea.

Beyond self-identification, practicing Judaism while living far away from an organized community (and under constant threat of fire) can be particularly difficult. The likelihood of finding a functioning synagogue or a sukkah (ritual hut) in which to eat, let alone stumbling into a Public Space Judaism event, is very slim. Instead, Jews in the U.S. military either leave their Judaism at home or seek out answers and a community with the help of the handful of Jewish army chaplains. Joshua Knobel, a West Point graduate who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, saw the value and need for Jewish chaplains first-hand. Because of their scarcity, he served as a “designated faith group leader” (chosen by a fellow chaplain), in order to meet the needs of the Jewish service members spread across wide swaths of the Middle East. While fighting the “war on terror” as a captain in telecommunications, Knobel concurrently shuffled between military bases to lead holiday services, offer counseling to his unit, and host seders (ritual meals for Passover) for Jewish soldiers. Since returning from his deployment, Knobel has enrolled in rabbinical school, with the possibility of returning to the military to serve in the chaplaincy.

(more…)

First Rosh Hashanah, and then Yom Kippur

We have just concluded the first round of fall holidays, and will be readying ourselves on Wednesday night for another week of Jewish holidays. According to tradition, as soon as we break fast at the conclusion of Yom Kippur, we are to initiate the building of our sukkah (although depending on the way the calendar works each year, many Jewish institutions build their sukkot before Yom Kippur even starts). Admittedly, the Jewish religious calendar is quite complicated. Thus, it presents an additional barrier to entry for those new to Jewish life and the Jewish community, irrespective of their backgrounds. Those of us who have been immersed in Jewish life for many years take it all in stride. But I like to look at these issues from the perspective of a newcomer—so that we can all learn from his/her experience. I also like to take into consideration the religious aesthetic involved, since so many historical choices were made for this reason, as well.

It is bad enough that there are four new years in the Jewish calendar. Because we live in sync with the secular calendar, we expect Rosh Hashanah to be akin to January 1. But Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the religious new year, not the count-off of the calendar. For the latter, we have to wait until the spring. What puzzles newcomers—and I have thought about this a great deal—is why, then, does Yom Kippur come after Rosh Hashanah? Wouldn’t it make more sense for a day of atonement to come before the beginning of a new year, not 10 days after its initiation?

(more…)

Engaging a New Generation

At the Jewish Outreach Institute, we seek to welcome newcomers and engage those on the periphery of Jewish life. Increasingly, Jews in their 20s, 30s, and 40s fit into this latter group, feeling no need to affiliate with a synagogue, and with no other way to connect with other young Jews. As a member of this demographic, I often wonder what organizations can do to engage us, to get us involved in “something Jewish” so as to not completely lose our cultural identity, while not making us feel obligated to join a synagogue.

While in college at the University of Delaware, I attended events at both the Hillel and Chabad; but outside of college, Jewish experiences for those in my generation are not as readily available. There is also an increasing perspective that my generation doesn’t want to have to go searching for opportunities, we want them easily accessible.

A recent article in the Minnesota Post shows that many are starting to think along these lines, and some are beginning to take action. Following some of the basic principles of JOI’s Big Tent Judaism Coalition, as well as the model created by Tempo, the Minnesota Opera’s young adults group, Rabbi Avi Olitzky (son of JOI Executive Director Rabbi Kerry Olitzky) has started a young-adults group at Beth El Synagogue in St. Louis Park, MN, designed to reach young adults where they are. The group’s events include Jewish happy hours and young-adult Sabbaths, with the goal of reaching young Jewish adults where they are.

The work of Rabbi Olitzky and others is a step in the right direction, and I am excited to see other groups offer opportunities to young Jews in the 20s, 30s, and 40s to reinvigorate our interest not necessarily in Judaism, but in being Jewish together.