Topic: American Jewish Life

Sub-topic: The American Synagogue

Sub-sub-topic: Affiliation

Sub-sub-sub-sub-topic: The economy

When discussing American Jewish life, there are words that I like and use joyously: covenant, community, relations hip, partnership, commitment, pledge.

And there are words I do not like and use reluctantly: members, dues, quarterly bill statement.

There is no shortage of organizations in American Jewish life-social and cultural institutions, social service centers, organizations that combat anti-Semitism, organizations that promote Jewish causes, organizations that support Israel, institutions of Jewish education. Each plays a vital role in our society.

The synagogue, however, is at the heart of them all. The mission of the synagogue is particular, unique and vital to all the rest. The synagogue is here to foster Jewish identity, deepen it and, in doing so, to do nothing less than create the future of the Jewish People and the future of Judaism itself. We are here to preserve the Jewish future by creating active, participating, living Jews. That is central to our mission.

The synagogue, in partnership with the home, is the place where Jewish life unfolds from birth to death and every day in between for each of us. When we function well, the American synagogue is a place of sanctuary as well as inspiration--of refuge as well as creativity--of solace as well as strength.

That is why talk of synagogue membership and dues depresses me. We, in America, have come to treat and think about synagogue affiliation much like membership in a club. "Am I going to the gym often enough to retain my membership?" "Have I used my emergency road service enough to stay in AAA?" "Is my Costco card worth the annual fee?" When the synagogue is viewed as a fee-for-service institution, we measure our dues by what we are getting out of it. The synagogue never was, never can be, and never should be defined or seen that way. How can we affix dues--a financial obligation--to the future of the Jewish people and Judaism? How can we measure what that is worth to us? All across the nation, we are bound by an American administrative structure and finance system in which we fill out "pledge forms" that determine how much we will be billed each year. The temple bill then comes each month and gets put in the pile with the other bills and gets paid out or overlooked accordingly. The system unwittingly makes a mockery of the spiritual and historical mission of the synagogue and, therefore, of Jewish life.

Imagine instead that we were asked annually to help preserve the future of the Jewish People and sustain the transmission of Torah to future generations. That's the overarching purpose of temple dues.

Each of us is asked to do his or her part to ensure a Jewish future. We close our eyes and see our tiny numbers, our people's destiny, and are infused by the understanding that no one can do our part for us. When it comes to meeting our obligation as God's partner, we can't lean on the next guy or just phone it in. Imagine an inspirational ritual in which we are each called to perpetuate the Sinai covenant and to give, as our ancestors did, "from our hearts." This is what covenantal synagogue pledges are--nothing less. They are our annual gift to the future. How can any Jew not participate as generously as possible in contributing to the future of the Jewish legacy?

Each year, the High Holidays invite us to consider our mission, what our lives are about. This is the mission of the synagogue.

The heart of our synagogue is the sanctuary. The heart of the sanctuary is the Torah. In antiquity, the Torah was housed in the tabernacle that our ancestors carried through the wilderness. Of all of the institutions in Jewish life, only the synagogue houses the Torah. Each year, each of us is asked to lift it up and carry it forward. Let us carry it forward with strength as our ancestors did. This is the covenant that preserves Jewish life--the covenant of the synagogue.