I
spent the week leading up to last Shabbat with over 100 of my cantorial
colleagues at our annual meeting of the ACC, the American Conference of
Cantors. This annual convention also
includes our musical partners in the GTM, the Guild of Temple Musicians, an
organization that supports accompanists, synagogue musicians, and choir
directors that serve Reform congregations throughout the country and
beyond. The ACC and the GTM meet
together every year at the end of June.
The location of the gathering travels throughout the country and Israel
allowing cantors to get a taste of regional differences, take advantage of
scholars and resources in various areas of the country, and to allow cantors to
show off their local communities to their colleagues. This
year’s meeting was in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
It was a good conference; still, I never again want to visit south
Florida in late June. It was a good thing the only free time was in the early
morning or after dark! We think it is
hot and humid in Baltimore during the summer?
Luckily, the offerings of this year’s conference were excellent, so it
was easy to avoid the hot midday sun of south Florida in June.
The
theme of this year’s ACC convention was the future of Reform Judaism. One of
the center pieces of the conference was the unveiling of Shirei
Mishkan haNefesh, a musical companion to the Reform movement’s new High
Holiday machzor, Mishkan haNefesh. Our
congregation is sticking to the Gates of
Repentance, a book published by the Reform movement in 1978, for at least the near future, but this
new musical work still provides us an opportunity to inject some musical
innovation into our High Holiday worship even if we are not ready to change our
machzor.
Other
highlights of the convention included a panel that addressed the “Future of Our
Institutions, Our Movement, and the Community.”
It featured the current President of the Reform movement’s seminary, the
Hebrew Union College; the CEO of the Reform movement’s Rabbinic arm, the
Central Conference of American Rabbis; the President of the ACC; the Director
of Communities of Practice, a new project of the Union of Reform Judaism; and,
the current director of Jewish Community at New York City’s 92street Y (who
also is a retired Reform Rabbi with years of congregational experience).
If I had to sum up
the 2-hour plus panel presentation on one foot, I’d say there were two take
aways that are relevant to our situation at Temple Emanuel. One, we are not alone. In fact, we are far from alone, hence the
need for such a panel at a gathering of Reform leaders. Reform congregations
throughout the country are struggling just as we are. Reform congregations throughout the country
are seeking ways to respond to a new reality, namely that synagogue membership
is no longer considered part and parcel in the definition of Jewish survival. Gen X-ers and certainly Millennials are simply not
joiners when it comes to religious institutions. They do not, and more importantly, they will
not – not matter how much we ask or beg - express their Jewish identity in the
same manner as their parents and grandparents.
Second,
there is no magic pill that will fix what we see as a problem. No one
has the solution that will solve today’s synagogue woes, but all agree “the
solution,” so to speak, must be dynamic, multi-dimensional, and flexible. It
cannot be reduced to a compelling program, a charismatic clergy person, the
right musical instrumentation, or a shiny marketing campaign. If it were that simple, there’d be no need for
the conversation itself. One thing is
clear, the solutions require a willingness to change and to perhaps change
big. It requires vision, innovation, and
frankly money to back that up. The
solutions also require letting go of old vision and of unrealistic expectations. And, any "solution" must recognize that it is only a problem when viewed from within the synagogue looking
out. The folks who choose not to
affiliate or prioritize synagogue life are not looking for a fix to any
problem. Before we try to "fix" anything, we have to be willing to recognize
that stark fact, to consider the reality that synagogue affiliation is simply
not a primary – nor automatic - vehicle for the expression of Jewish identity
for an increasing majority of Jews. And,
we can’t keep functioning under the premise that it is.
Another
highlight of the ACC convention, one that can remind us of the most important
ingredient of Jewish life, was worship itself.
When Reform Jewish leaders gather, we not only study, we pray twice
daily: shacharit and ma’ariv, morning and evening. And, it is an experience that can only be
described as awesome: literally as an experience filled with awe. Imagine, over 100 professional voices joining
together as one kahal in song. The constantly changing blend of harmonies
become melody infusing the words with meaning lifting them far off the
2-dimensional page. The music becomes
the kevana – the spontaneous
intention demanded of our tradition.
There is no question in my mind that our voices transformed that hotel
ballroom into sacred space.
This
indeed is a primary goal of worship: the transformation of space into sacred
space. It isn’t the sanctuary or chapel
that makes our worship sacred. It isn’t
a specific location, it is us. We are
that necessary ingredient. We have the
power to create holiness, and a primary way we do so is by coming together as a
community to worship. Without us, it is
just an empty room. Without us, the
Torah becomes a relic. Without us, the prayerbooks remain unopened on the cart to gather dust. The room helps – a lot, but ultimately, it is
up to us to engage and choose to create our own harmonies.
