For years now the synagogue format, with all its membership dues, local events, potluck dinners, trips to Israel and the like, has attempted to attract the interests and imaginations of young Jews. The common phrase is “You are our future,” and we definitely are. Each successive generation replaces the generations that preceded it, in time. Survival in part depends on our continued engagement. This reality has been the cause of a host of denominational programs, all seeking to integrate into the community the collegiate, the high schooler– perhaps even to retain the very young before they can become disillusioned or disinterested with synagogue life. Each of these programs has had varying success, and not a single one of them will prove alone to be the deciding factor in the future relationship between young Jews and local synagogues. Jewish leaders are looking for signs of hope that their institutions will be carried on by others.
In his article “Calling Jewish Activists: Synagogues Need You and You Need Them,” Rabbi Jonah Pesner argues that a bond between Jews and synagogues can be cemented over common social justice issues. By finding these threads of commonality and concern, synagogues can serve as vehicles for the ideas of Jews who might otherwise be disinterested in synagogue life or its implications. There are legitimate reasons why Pesner’s claims have merit, but there is a point of concern in all of these calls for young Jews to be grafted into the peoplehood by way of charitable causes. This point has to do with Judaism itself. Judaism as an institution has a long-standing history of social justice engagement. But the engagement isn’t itself Judaism. It’s just ethics. While young Jews striving to live ethically is certainly a good thing, building bonds between them and the synagogue on the basis of a social justice platform alone potentially leaves the liturgy, philosophy, and practice of Judaism out in the cold. There’s nothing inherently wrong with capturing the spirit of Judaism in kindness, compassion, and vigorous discourse on behalf of others. But at its heart, Judaism has to be about more than ethics. This “more” is found in the language of prayer, in the discourse at the heart of the Talmud, in a history that matches bleak periods with equally redemptive ones. Ideally, when synagogues choose to reach out to the unaffiliated, young Jews among them, they temper their ethics platforms with something like Torah.
