“I’m 17 now, and as lazy as it sounds, I’m indifferent to being Jewish. My mom doesn’t like the idea very much … But what makes me a Jew? We don’t go to temple, we don’t celebrate Shabbat, and we barely talk about Judaism … On top of [it], my family provides me with lots of reminders about how hard it is to be Jewish …

As a teenager I’m deciding who I want to be, but when I think about Judaism, it doesn’t even make the list. Nor do I feel guilty about it. How un-Jewish is that?”

-Joshua Raifman – Youth Radio (March 31, 2010)

We now live in a world where Jewishness is no longer a given.

“Why is being Jewish important?” many young Jews ask. “Because it just is!” their parents answer. The failure of this message to satisfy deeply rooted human longings for purpose and vision is in evidence in the pews of nearly every standard issue suburban synagogue – a handful of mostly retirees and Boomers, with their children in attendance only for obligatory occasions or B’nai Mitzvah preparation.

The New American Jew

The New American Jew is a category that encompasses three primary generations – young Baby Boomers, Gen X’ers, and Millennials (Gen Y). According to Rabbi Sidney Schwarz,[1] the New American Jew is identified by three unique identity markers: They were born after the Holocaust and the birth of the State of Israel; they were raised without significant experiences in anti-Semitism, and raised in relative affluence and prosperity. The result is that the New American Jew is less inclined to build his or her identity around Israel or the Holocaust, and the rallying cry ‘Save the Jews!’ is less likely to resonate with them. Above all, remaining Jewish is no longer a given. Being Jewish is a choice.

Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman, in his book, ReThinking Synagogues, recalls a particular experience from a weekend retreat that may be helpful to this discussion:

“A couple at the back of the room stood out. As the only people under forty, they had sat quietly for all of Shabbat, somewhat ignored by the others … Hesitantly, one of them raised a hand … ‘We came here not knowing what we would find … but it seems to me that none of the questions asked so far has any relevance. The only question that counts for us is ‘Why be Jewish?’ That is what we came to find out.’

After a momentary hush, the room erupted in one denunciation after another – all quietly delivered, as if the crowd of older attendees were disciplining children. How could these young Jews be so callous …? The reason for being Jewish is self-evident, isn’t it? How dare they even question that, [especially] after what happened in Europe?”[2]

For far too long the question of “Why be Jewish?” has remained largely unanswered and primarily dismissed within both the wider Jewish community and the Messianic Jewish Movement. However, if we are to have any sort of impact on a new (and ongoing) generation of Jews, we must recognize this as a legitimate question.

We often spend too much time trying to come up with answers to questions most Jews are not really asking. Our ability to reach our people depends solely on our ability to relate and engage them spiritually. In reality, the particular question of why be Jewish happens to be far more pressing for most American Jews than their questions about Yeshua. We do not have to see this as a threat, however, but rather a challenge.

A great number of our people are currently moving toward a spirituality that can answer their deep-felt spiritual needs. It is really no secret. What we Jews are seeking today is the same thing Jews have always sought – to simultaneously connect with G-d and to find our place within thirty centuries of Jewish history.

Because Jewishness is no longer a given, and viewed as a choice, the New American Jew is seeking a spirituality that is compelling. If we want to engage new generations we’ll need to think out of the box, considering multiple “entry points” into community life and into faith. Our people are looking for something to believe in. Although many may not recognize it as such, they are looking for faith. But, they are seeking a faith that can engage them spiritually, intellectually, socially, and Jewishly. Our ability to reach our people, and ultimately communicate the message of Yeshua depends largely on our ability to communicate from within our community, and through a vibrant Jewish Spirituality, infused and renewed by our Divine Messiah.

*Adapted from a paper I presented at the second Borough Park Symposium in April 2010.

"The ‘Gen-Y’ers wish to live lives that matter. They are hungry for community and where they do not find ones that welcome them, they will create their own. They do not wish to escape, but to engage; they do not want to judge or to be judged, but to join. They do not desire indictment, they seek inspiration. They are also not willing to accept the community silos of the past but are interested in models that perform. They are not interested in being silent partners in an organizational bureaucracy but want to matter and will accept process only if it leads to purpose. They are looking to change the spelling of their gaming console, the Wii from two i’s to an “e.’’

If we create portals of entry, share with them our story undiluted or whitewashed, and find the courage to let them make it their own they will do something that we can’t: guarantee our future."

-Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum, from a recent Sh'ma article: GenXers and Boomers: Humility and Tzimtzum

In a previous post titled Judaism in Crisis, we discussed the dramatic paradigm shift faced by the Jewish community, triggered both by economic collapse and a shift in leadership from the Baby Boomer generation to "millenials."

We've noticed that discussions of the future of Judaism tend toward doom and gloom.

Rabbi Hayim Herring, Executive Director of STAR (Synagogues: Transformation and Renewal) recently posted on his blog a response to those who project a dark outlook on the Jewish future:

Herring relates that if Judaism is to move forward, we need to focus on particular goals:

• Empowering younger generations
• Creating Jewish community on a global scale
• Increasing Jewish learning
• Building stronger relationships with Israel
• Creating stronger ties with people of other faiths
• Reaching out to and engaging Jews who are indifferent to Jewish living, and also [reaching out to and engaging] spiritual seekers.

This transition is centered in community. We need to create intentional communities that purposely pursue these goals. This requires that we wholly re-envision the communal structures we have grown comfortable with.

Our particular movement's MO has been to rely almost exclusively on the synagogue as the primary organizer for Jewish communal life. Perhaps this is an assumption that we need to rethink. What would it look like to have Messianic communities that serve as extended families and spiritual homes for Jews who follow Yeshua? Places where people are valued and empowered, where Jewish learning and Jewish life are intentionally cultivated, and people of all ages actively participate in our rituals and traditions? What if our communities were inviting, user-friendly, and open to Jews with little to no previous knowledge of Jewish life?

Even the role of the congregational leader (as we usually understand it to be) needs to be revisited. Perhaps a rabbi should function simply as a spiritual guide, as rabbis functioned in ages past. Only in the last 150 years or so has the position of a rabbi morphed into the multiple hats of pastor, cantor, Torah reader, fundraiser, member of the board, professional Jew, etc. As Jewish literacy has declined, the rabbi's role has evolved. Since the average Jew can no longer lead davening, the rabbi must now lead services. As fewer Jews could lein Torah (read from the Torah), the rabbi also had to read the Torah every week. Hopefully you get the picture.

The idea of going to synagogue to watch the rabbi do everything is actually not very Jewish, in an historic sense. In Orthodox synagogues to this day, any knowledgeable Jew can lead the davening, lein Torah, teach classes, and serve in various lay leadership capacities.

The empowerment of individuals within our shuls will go hand-in-hand with an increase in Jewish education. The more people are able to do, the more they’ll learn, and vice verse.

The times they are a changing. And we’ll need to change with them. The Judaism of the future must be a user-friendly, spiritual Judaism. Open and inclusive, and able to satisfy seekers' deep thirst for spirituality in their daily lives.

We serve a Messiah who was able to take those on the margins and move them to action. May we live and lead as He did.

Parashat D’varim

Deuteronomy is unique. Firstly, the book is a retelling of the entire Torah.

Second, as the Vilna Gaon notes, the first four books of the Torah were heard directly from the mouth of HaShem. Whereas Deuteronomy is Moshe’s recounting of the events at a later date. In the first four books of the Torah, HaShem is the primary speaker. In Deuteronomy, Moshe is the primary speaker.

Lastly, the book involves a different generation than the rest of the Torah. Meaning, the whole reason Moshe is pleading with the people at the beginning of this parasha is because it is a new generation about to go into the Promised Land. This is not the generation who wandered in the dessert for forty years. This is not the generation that left Egypt and was involved in the sin of the golden calf. Many of these people were not even born when the Torah was originally given, and if they were, they may not have been old enough to fully comprehend the impact of the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. This was a new generation.

Many of us represent this new generation. There is a new land we are about to enter. As many voices in the Jewish world are declaring the demise of Judaism in America, we stand at the threshold of opportunity. We can either listen to the calls of those who only see the end of the Jewish community as we know it, or we can take hold of the vision cast by HaShem.

Deuteronomy is a voice to a new generation. It is a voice to us. You and I may not have physically stood at Mt. Sinai, but we did receive the Torah (Dt. 5:3). It is time to take hold of the Torah once again and step forward into a new land.

The generation of our Torah portion experienced the dying out of the pervious generation. We also do not have to look far to see Judaism diminishing among our parents’ generation. But it does not have to end here. If we are willing to look closely, there is a Promised Land ahead.

The great Jewish believer, Paul Phillip Levertoff once wrote,

We need to create communities that are focused on relationships, where people are valued for being created b’tzelem Elokim – in the image of G-d. Communities where people are empowered to lead and to follow. Where leaders serve as guides, rather than as lone-rangers or stars of the show. We need to embody a vision of Jewish life infused with the power of Yeshua, and filled with the Spirit. We need to reclaim our identities as Israel declaring a corporate witness to the world of G-d’s continued unfolding plan for the Jewish people and the Nations.

There is yet a Promised Land ahead. Are you able to see it? And if you’re able to catch a glimpse of it, are you ready to help build it?

My wife and I are deeply committed to re-imagining congregational life, developing innovative and creative programming, and planting vibrant spiritual communities. As a skilled community builder, I am often sought as a consultant on congregational life and growth and travel regularly to assist communities going through change, reorganization, and those wanting to incorporate more vibrant and meaningful liturgical worship.

As a result, I am always seeking creative and innovative ideas, and visiting communities that are on the forefront of change. I often share on this blog a number of practical suggestions that can be helpful for your own spiritual community. This is especially true of books that I believe are 'must-reads' for congregational leaders who desire to remain relevant and continue to meet peoples deep-felt spiritual needs.

One such recent book I would consider required reading is, "Empowered Judaism: What Independent Minyanim Can Teach Us about Building Vibrant Jewish Communities" by Rabbi Elie Kaunfer.

The Jewish Theological Seminary recently hosted an excellent panel discussion on this book with Rabbi Kaunfer, along with other noted figures Professor Steven Cohen, Rabbi Ayelet Cohen, and moderated by JTS Chancellor Arnold Eisen.

The discussion is very important because it presents growing trends within the Jewish community toward a heightened experience of G-d, engaging participatory communities, and meaningful prayer. I highly recommend listening to the panel HERE.

In recent years the Jewish community (primarily younger generations) have been moving away from a Jewish experience dictated only by 'belonging.' For many young Jews, Jewishness is no longer perceived as a given, but rather a choice. You can agree or disagree with this, but one thing is for certain - those Jews who desire to remain involved are not looking for a Judaism that is a secular culture of bagels and lox -but rather Judaism as a Faith (something I raised in my recent paper at the Borough Park Symposium).

Yet, what many young Jews are beginning to realize is that they did not even know they were looking for faith. It turns out what we young Jews are looking to do is what we have always sought to do, to simultaneously connect with G-d and find our place within thirty centuries of Jewish history.

Seems we're still deeply spiritual after all!

This past weekend was the UMJC Kabbetz HaEsrim Southeast conference, held in Cary, NC at host congregation Sha’arei Shalom. Nearly fifty young Messianics between the ages of 18-35 gathered to pray, worship, and build relationships with each another. Participants enjoyed worship services and numerous opportunities to strengthen relationships. The opening session was kicked off Friday night with a Kabbalat Shabbat service, Shabbat dinner, and a special message brought by Dr. Seth Klayman. Additional speakers over the weekend included Rabbi Jamie Cowen and myself.

Shaletha Riggs, one of the conference organizers, commented, “I feel like the people who came left feeling more connected to their Messianic Community and renewed by the time spent in worship and prayer. The teachings and discussions were very helpful and sparked a desire to practically look for ways to be a part of the future of Messianic Judaism. It was definitely a fulfilling experience!”

According to another participant, Jason Linas from Richmond, VA, “Kabbetz was a resounding success this weekend. It was very fruitful and a real blessing ... this weekend was an EYE OPENER for me personally."

Getting Involved

“The central aspect of all we do is community building,” says J. David, Chair of the UMJC Twenties Committee. “I’ve seen many long standing friendships established during these times together. People in their twenties and thirties in the movement are few and far between, so this is so encouraging to all of us.”

The UMJC Twenties Committee is continually working to empower and raise-up the next generation through a number of initiatives, including Kabbetz HaEsrim.

For more information about the Twenties Committee or our upcoming events visit us on Facebook or email us at umjc20s@gmail.com.