Shalom,
Just about a month ago l was privileged to attend the United Synagogue of Conservative
Judaìsm's unconventional convention dubbed the "Ka11ah" (with ones instead of "el"s
symbolizing this year's date). It took place in La Jolla, and our president Barry Klatzker and
exec V.P. Ken Levin also participated. lf you came to shui on the 17th of December, you
heard their take on it.
What made this convention unconventional? Well USCJ conventions in the past were geared toward the running of the synagogue, with classes on how to com puterize an office, sessions on howto make the head of the facilities committee more efficient, and the like; the sorts of things that are frequently referred to as the "nuts and bolts" of synagogue life. But this get-together avoided the "nuts and bolts" in favor of some other basics.
This gathering focused on why people goto synagogue, and whatwe can do to enhance that experience. What happens from the moment you pull up to the time when you take your seat? Greeting the newcomer doesn't just happen by itself; it's the product of who we are and the care we take to make someone we don't know feel at home. (I was proud to note that TBE is usually pretty good at this.) What goes on in the service itself, and how is it different from services of yore?
There were many “learning minyanim" where time was taken to point out what the prayers
we use actually say, and how their placement in the service colors that meaning. And a lot
of it was experiential. l truly wish you could have been there with us as Shabbat came in.
The experience of the prayers on that Friday night opened a lot of eyes to the range of
ways in which to conducta service. There was lots of singing, lots of kavanah (focused
intention/spirituality), and, it seemed to me, lots of light bulbs going off in heads
as to howto use this information to enhance their own congregations.
Translating the experiences ofthe Ka11ah into viable steps for TBE to take can be an exciting project. Certainly we hope that the loyal congregants who continue to grace our services with their presence will embrace these steps and internalize them, but beyond that, we hope that word will get out that, despite our many years we are a work in progress. We can have that spark of newness as we safeguard our traditions.
Whether we mean it literally or figuratively, TBE is a congregation on the move. How would you like to help? We are considering starting a "T'filah" (prayer) committee, a more focused offshoot of our religion committee, to help us steer the course between tradition and change (the motto of the Conservative movement) in our services.
There are many ways to move forward. I hope to hear from you in the near future with your
take on how to proceed. We got to see a few ways at the Ka11ah. As you read elsewhere
in this Tidings, Rabbi Steven Wernick will be here to help us clarify some more. an
exciting time to be at TBE. One person can make a difference, and that one person can be you. I look forward to hearing from you.
See you in shul,
Rabbi Joel Berman
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