Recently, I attended Shabbat services at my Conservative synagogue in Norfolk, Virginia. During the service, a young girl in our congregation sang a beautiful rendition of “Sim Shalom,” the prayer for peace, to the accompaniment of a piano-playing rabbi. Many of our members had never heard the tune and were quite moved by her performance. Yet when the song ended, everyone sat silently.
As if sensing the mood of the crowd, our temple president stood on the bimah and began clapping. Everyone followed suit. Affirmation by the congregants provided closure to a wonderful melody, but clearly the idea of cheering still holds caveats in the conservative consciousness.
Temple is boring. Since birth, we’ve flipped through the prayer book with nonchalance as services rarely stray from the norm. Also, we’ve learned a certain sense of decorum once in the sanctuary. Cheering, clapping, and general noise remain largely off-limits save for Purim or Simchat Torah.
Such a stifling, overtly courteous atmosphere lends itself to a funeral more than to Shabbat prayer. Of course, worship is meant for individual spirituality, but if that’s the only purpose I could just pray by my bed. Judaism is about community, too, and our generation may not want our grandparents’ rigid religion. If Jewish institutions want our participation as the years go on, they must find ways to engage us.
Conservative Judaism has been a part of my life for 21 years. I enjoy the tunes, the nature of the synagogue and a level of comfort within the denomination. I realize that a lighter mood and more creative services basically exist within a Reform framework. However, I don’t feel I should change my denomination to find contentment. Nor should we as Jews pass all the fun on to Reform congregations. I simply want Conservative Judaism to accommodate an ever-changing Jewish climate and not shy away from new opportunities to enhance prayer.
For me, the fun begins with one great addition: instruments. For too long, Conservative synagogues have turned their collective backs on musical accompaniment. It shocked me to find my rabbi playing piano as the young girl sang “Sim Shalom.” Until then, I had never seen a piano being played on Shabbat at my synagogue—and certainly not by my rabbi—but it turned the event from purposefully serious to seriously joyful.
For many Jews, a gospel church may seem over the top with a full band and choir, but I have never been more engaged than at such a service. Jews don’t need a full-blown orchestra, but we do need a little renovation. We can start with clapping. But we should always be looking for new ways to perform, present, and sing the songs we all know all too well.
I want, one day, to bring my kids to services. But to do that, I have to like going to synagogue. Conservative movement, heed my warning: I want to pray, but not by your rules.
