President’s Message

I’m currently reading The Chosen Wars: How Judaism Became An American Religion by Steven R. Weisman.

It traces the arrival of Jews to America beginning in revolutionary times but spends the bulk of the book discussing the progression of Judaism in America in the 19th century. The formation of Reform Judaism, the differences in how Jews viewed “traditional “Judaism, and how that eventually led to the rise and separation of Orthodox and Conservative movements.

While the bulk of the discussion takes place roughly 150 years ago, I can’t help but compare it to current times. How people view their Judaism is changing. Societal pressures and influences, technology, people’s connection to their religion (all religions), and what they want from their religion are all in flux just as they were 150 years ago. So again, synagogues are grappling with what they want to be, how they will serve different constituencies, and how they will provide entry points/connections/touch points in a meaningful and fiscally manageable way. Etz Hayim is no exception to this trend.

At the November Board meeting, the Board will begin a dialogue–a journey I think–to address these issues. It will not be a quick process, but coming off of the Board retreat over the summer, and working closely with an outside consultant, the Rabbi and I will present different frameworks to the Board of options available to CEH. Once the Board comes to a consensus, we will be reaching out to the congregation at large for feedback and input. The process will be based on consensus building but will also likely result in some changes.

We are relatively new into the 21st century, but history has a way of repeating itself and forcing change and so while the conversations and the need for them may not be completely new, I suspect that where CEH ends up will include some new and exciting opportunities.

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