clergy members who have trained and graduated from Conservative seminaries sometimes serve in Reform Congregations, and vice versa.
To Reconstructionist
Many people in the general population may not have heard of the Reconstructionist movement. It was inspired by the vision of Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, a faculty member of a Conservative rabbinical seminary who helped found a new rabbinical college at the urgings of his students and supporters. Kaplan’s concept was that Judaism is more than just a religion; it is a “civilization” that evolves and progresses and must therefore be “reconstructed”—rediscovered, and reinterpreted on an ongoing basis—to be kept alive.
In much the same manner as contemporary Conservative and Reform congregations, Reconstructionist congregations embrace a wide variety of traditional and non-traditional Jewish backgrounds, experiences, and lifestyles, and they operate in a gender-neutral environment. The Reconstructionist congregation often decides how it will honor traditional Jewish customs, molding them to accommodate what it considers the realities of modern life.
While Reconstructionist Jews have a strong commitment to tradition, they also search for contemporary meaning in the liturgy and religious service. If a particular Jewish custom is questionable in view of contemporary society, it will be examined and “reconstructed”; new meanings will be found in the old forms or they will be developed into more meaningful, innovative practices.
Reconstructionism diverges from Conservative and Reform Judaism in how it views the interpretation of traditional Jewish law and in how far Jewish law can be amended. Reconstructionism also differs from Conservative and Reform Judaism in its concept of ethical monotheism and its belief that the basic tenets of Judaism need to be reexamined and restated for our age. In general, Reconstructionist congregations fall somewhere between Reform and Conservative in terms of religious practice; they may be described as liberal in their ideology. As with many aspects of Judaism, there is a considerable range of practice and belief within the Reconstructionist movement.
The Jewish Reconstructionist Federation lists more than one hundred congregations in North America. A number of these congregations are organized as havurot. A havurah (singular) is a gathering of Jews who meet to worship and study together. The havurah is a religious group, but it also functions as a fellowship group and an extended family (see “Contemporary Synagogues and Congregations”).
Although Reconstructionist congregations tend to be small, the concepts and philosophy of the movement have affected modern Jewish belief and practice.
Contemporary Synagogues and Congregations
As the nature of society has changed in modern times, so have the Jewish community and, consequently, the synagogue. At one time, Jews lived in small shtetlach (singular shtetl; Yiddish for ghettos, villages, or settlements), closed communities in Eastern Europe or elsewhere. This is generally no longer the case in the United States, except for a few Hasidic communities located in New York and other cities. As Jews became more assimilated into mainstream society, the Jewish community became more disseminated, and Jews now live almost everywhere. As a result, the synagogue has become a place of gathering for Jewish people, a center not only for prayer and study but also for sharing heritage and culture, socializing, and growing within the faith.
The word synagogue derives from a Greek word that means “to congregate or to gather together.” Evidence has been discovered of synagogues from two thousand years ago. Some congregations call their institution a synagogue, while others call it a temple, a word derived from Latin. The use of the word temple may refer to or be a symbolic reminder of the original temples of Jerusalem that were destroyed centuries ago (see “The Temple”).
Through the years, synagogues have been built everywhere Jewish people live. Many reflect the architecture of the times or a country’s specific style, whether baroque, Gothic, art deco, or contemporary/modern.
Some Jewish groups simply call themselves a congregation, while others refer to the synagogue as a shul, which is a Yiddish word that means “school.” Still others organize and support a local community center, which provides a place for community events, nursery or other schools, youth activities, adult education, and often Shabbat services.
It is not necessary that a congregation have a full-time rabbi and/or cantor on the payroll to function. Often, a small congregation runs its worship services, religious school, and social functions with volunteers or with part-time or occasional “professional” help, this assistance often coming from students at rabbinical or cantoral seminaries.
The word havurah refers to a small group that functions either independently of a larger religious congregation or as part of an organized synagogue. The word comes from the Hebrew root word for “friend.” The havurah serves as a fellowship group and extended family with which to celebrate holidays, share support in times of crisis, enjoy religious and non-religious events, and maintain a network of people who share the faith.
In addition, there are “alternative” congregations or organizations that combine Jewish traditions and beliefs with mysticism, vegetarianism, New Age philosophy, or social and political action. For example, Jewish meditation, spirituality, and education combine to form the basis of a very popular Jewish community group where I live in Northern California’s Bay Area.
In other words, there is more than one place for Jewish people to meet, study, socialize, solve problems large and small, and worship.
A Personal Observation
I grew up in the 1950s and early 1960s attending a Conservative congregation. As any child brought up in a system, I believed that this was the norm in the same way that I thought my household was the norm and my high school was the norm and my rock-and-roll band was the norm and my mom and dad were the norm. As I matured, I was often shocked to discover that not only are things different out in the real world but also there is oftentimes no norm.
In my synagogue, it was typical for men and boys to wear a kippah (skullcap) when in the synagogue, to wear a tallit (prayer shawl) when attending religious services, and to recite certain prayers in Hebrew and others in English. At the time, few adult women in the congregation participated in leading religious services. However, more than ever before, girls were attending Hebrew school and participating in the bat mitzvah ritual, just as the boys celebrated their bar mitzvah. (The girls were the ones from whom I copied my Hebrew school homework.)
The first time I attended a Reform Shabbat service, I was quite surprised. For the most part, the congregants did not wear a kippah or tallit; much more of the service was in English than in Hebrew; and when the rabbi read the Torah portion, he translated it into English, line by line, as he went along—I liked this method since it meant I did not have to read the English to know what he was talking about.
Through the years, I have belonged to more than one Reform congregation, and I have generally found the services stimulating and informative. I have also attended Conservative services reminiscent of the synagogue of my youth as well as Orthodox services, which reflect traditional Judaism as it has been practiced for centuries. On occasion I’ve attended what I would refer to as “alternative” congregations
