• Home
  • About
    • About
    • Policies
  • Submissions
    • Op-eds
    • News / Announcements
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

eJewish Philanthropy

Your Jewish Philanthropy Resource

  • News Bits
  • Jewish Education
  • Readers Forum
  • Research
  • Show Search
Hide Search
You are here: Home / Readers Forum / The Relevancy of Today’s Synagogues

The Relevancy of Today’s Synagogues

March 21, 2011 By eJP

from an opinion piece by Rabbi Sid Schwarz in The Jewish Week:

Are Synagogues Still Relevant?

In many Jewish gatherings of professionals and lay leaders, fingers are being pointed at the synagogue as an increasingly irrelevant institution. The only Jewish institution that suffers greater criticism is the synagogue’s stepchild, the afternoon religious school.

Jewish funders are more eager to fund alternatives to synagogues than innovations within synagogues. Benefitting from this trend are independent minyanim, outreach programs to non-traditional populations (e.g. 20-somethings, LGBTs, interfaith families, etc.), public-space Judaism, environmental programs and social justice initiatives. Indeed many of these new initiatives are benefiting from a burst of energy from the younger generation in things Jewish and growing support for social entrepreneurship to reinvent the Jewish community.

There is much to celebrate in these new developments, but it would be unwise to write off synagogues just yet. The cumulative cost of all synagogue buildings and professional staff in America represents the single biggest investment of Jewish communal dollars that exists. As a class, synagogues can be criticized for not adjusting quickly enough to changes in American society and culture, and they are losing market share as a result. However, I don’t know of anyone who believes that what synagogues offer can be replaced by the Internet.

… Most Jews do not care one whit about the future of the denominations. However, we know that many Jews are hungry to find communities of meaning that can support them in their search for spirituality, for wisdom, for emotional and communal support in times of joy and sorrow and for efforts to advance peace and justice in the world. This should be the agenda of every American synagogue and there are ways to help them deliver this to Jews in new and exciting ways.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Readers Forum Tagged With: worship

Click here to Email This Post Email This Post to friends or colleagues!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amy Pollack says

    March 24, 2011 at 5:18 pm

    Well said. There are folks who are figuring out ways to enhance traditional bricks and mortar synagogue communities by reaching beyond the walls in new ways.

    One person doing this is Bracha Yael at her synagogue in Los Angeles. See this blog post: http://bit.ly/dPrlEU

    The comments from readers illustrate how the bonds to their synagogue have been reinforced and strengthened, not threatened, because the definition of community has been expanded. The synagogue, even if it was physically hundreds of miles away, was there for them when they needed it.

  2. Bracha Yael says

    March 24, 2011 at 11:00 pm

    Thanks for the shout out Amy. I think you like Rabbi Sid Schwarz see that brick and mortar institutions are far from dead. In fact, there’s never been a better time.
    First, despite all the new virtual ways people can “meet up” face to face contact remains the most powerful emotional connection between two human beings.
    Second, virtual technologies are not competitors but incredible opportunities for brick and mortar religious institutions to deepen and broaden synagogue life.
    An attentive synagogue can keep in touch by simply “listening” to the needs of their members through FaceBook, Twitter and such. Social media gives us a way to understand better those who we serve.
    This combination of physical and virtual conversations builds a more vital community in the real world.
    Thanks again Amy and Rabbi Schwarz for this discussion.

Primary Sidebar

Join The Conversation

What's the best way to follow important issues affecting the Jewish philanthropic world? Our Daily Update keeps you on top of the latest news, trends and opinions shaping the landscape, providing an invaluable source for inspiration and learning.
Sign Up Now
For Email Marketing you can trust.

Continue The Conversation

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Recent Comments

  • Bruce Powell on An Invitation To Transparency: Reflections on an Open Salary Spreadsheet
  • Sara Rigler on Announcement: Catherine Reed named CEO of American Friends of Magen David Adom
  • Donna Burkat on The Blessings in 2020’s Losses
  • swindmueller on Where Do We Go From Here?
    Reflections On 2021
    A Jewish Response to These Uncertain Times
  • Alan Henkin on Where Do We Go From Here?
    Reflections On 2021
    A Jewish Response to These Uncertain Times

Most Read Recent Posts

  • Jewish Agency Accuses Evangelical Contractors of “Numerous Violations” but Denies They Evangelized New Immigrants
  • Breaking: Birthright Israel & Onward Israel Seek to Join Forces to Strengthen Jewish Diaspora Ties with Israel
  • An Invitation To Transparency: Reflections on an Open Salary Spreadsheet
  • Why One Zoom Class Has Generated a Following
  • The Blessings in 2020’s Losses

Categories

The Way Back Machine

Footer

What We Do

eJewish Philanthropy highlights news, resources and thought pieces on issues facing our Jewish philanthropic world in order to create dialogue and advance the conversation. Learn more.

Top 40 Philanthropy Blogs, Websites & Influencers in 2020

Copyright © 2021 · eJewish Philanthropy · All Rights Reserved