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September 15, 2000/15 Elul 5760, Vol. 52, No.53
Synagogues reach out to young adults
TAMI BICKLEY
Associate Editor
Lay leaders and clergy pray together at a retreat for Synagogue 2000's 16 pilot sites.
JTA photo courtesy of Synagogue 2000 |
It's September, the time of year when younger Jews especially are thinking about where they will be for the High Holidays.
Because this year Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur fall on weekends, visiting out-of-state family is feasible for many Valley young adults. Others will attend congregational services - if they can afford to belong. Some will seek out one of the few less costly options.
And many will opt out.
Young adults for whom synagogue membership is either unaffordable or not a priority, compound a climbing unaffiliation rate that threatens the future of Judaism, say Jewish leaders.
"National studies have shown that between the ages of high-school graduation and marriage, affiliation plummets, then comes back," usually when couples start their own families, says Rabbi Lisa Tzur of Temple Chai in Phoenix.
Recognizing that they are losing young adults to the secular world, a number of synagogue leaders nationwide, including several in the Valley, are trying to attract them by offering programs, social activities and reduced membership fees.
Because 20- to 35-year-olds may be students or working, single or married, with or without children, planners find that focusing on the wide range of young adults' needs is a challenge.
While some search for social interaction with peers, others seek to enhance their own spirituality or create a Jewish life for their children.
In response, synagogues must decide what offerings would most benefit their community, based in part on demographics. One thing is for sure: They are constantly looking for ways to connect with young, unaffiliated Jews.
"It's something we keep working on," says Evan Du Bro, administrator for Temple Emanuel of Tempe.
Emanuel offers classes for members that may lure nonmembers into joining in order to participate, Du Bro says. Although the classes are not specifically geared toward young adults, they focus on issues young Jews face today and how they differ from what their parents experienced.
Accommodating members
Temple Chai has "a plethora of young (adults) who don't 'know' they are members," says Tzur. They may attend Shabbat and High Holiday services, but Tzur and others want these young members to make synagogue and Judaism a larger part of their lives.
In response, the temple is initiating Generation Alef, a program for Generation Xers who - even though they are affiliated - are largely detached from Judaism.
Slated to begin this fall, the program will encourage young members to "be social with one another, learn together and interact together" - which encompasses much of what is important to young people, Tzur says - and is needed to draw them into synagogue life.
In addition, the temple's Kabbalat Shabbat services, which include music inspired by Shabbat services in Jerusalem, have been highly successful in attracting young Jews, says Tzur. The concept was born when the temple's senior rabbi, William Berk, returned from a sabbatical to Israel in 1998, bringing with him new music being sung in Jerusalem.
Temple members join in singing the music at 6:15 p.m. every Friday.
"I don't think a week went by this summer that I didn't have less than 200 people at the service," Tzur says. "It's very musical, spiritual, and a great way to release the pressures and tensions of the week. ... It's attracting young and old (people) alike."
Similarly, a synagogue in New York, on Manhattan's West 88th Street, has been wildly popular for several years, with its music-rich Shabbat services.
B'nai Jesherun, known as "B.J.," attracts mostly young singles who cram, standing-room-only, in a rented church with its crucifix covered, to experience the non-denominational synagogue's relaxed, welcoming, spiritual atmosphere.
Jonathan Bartlett, 25 and single, enjoys B.J.'s pop-culture feel and is drawn to the ritual of dancing around the room and the congregation's small band.
"A lot of people go there to meet other singles," says Bartlett, who lives in Manhattan. "It's also attractive to young people because they (are comfortable) expressing themselves through song and dance. And they don't have to be paying members to stop in for a Shabbat service."
Acting to fill a traditional Orthodox need is Young Israel of Phoenix, a congregation that despite its name, serves all ages.
However, says Rabbi Chaim Silver, "When we plan our classes and events, we always take (young adults) into consideration."
Programs including Shabbatons, philosophy classes, "Ask the Rabbi" sessions and Kabbalat Shabbat, all welcome participants ages 20-35. A group of Young Israel members - some with young children - recently traveled to Israel together.
Some synagogues offer activities for children while their parents attend a class or service enabling the children to benefit from being in a Jewish environment.
Temple Beth Israel in Scottsdale holds a family Shabbat service at 6:15 p.m. Friday; Temple Emanuel has a "Tots and Torah" service at 6:30 p.m. the third Friday of each month; Chabad of Phoenix holds occasional family Shabbat services; and Young Israel will begin a "Mommy and Me" program this fall.
Why affiliate?
After Mickey Latz moved to the Valley from Minneapolis almost seven years ago, he either would return home to attend synagogue High Holiday services with his family, or drive to Hillel at Arizona State University for the High Holiday and Shabbat services. Although he was active in Jewish organizations, including Chevra, a young adult group at Hillel, he was not a member of a synagogue.
Last year, Latz, 32, founder of the local singles group JewishSinglesAZ .com, started shopping for a Reform congregation.
Because he was already involved in the singles scene, he wasn't looking to fill a social gap.
"The big importance for me was feeling comfortable with the service and finding songs that I was familiar with from when I was growing up, and an environment that felt warm and caring," he says.
He found his "home away from home" at Temple Solel in Paradise Valley.
Formerly falling into the category of unaffiliated young people are Andi and Craig Maron of Phoenix. When they had no children, they saw no reason to affiliate, recalls Andi Maron. Although she had "grown up" at Beth El Congregation in Phoenix and became a bat mitzvah there, her religious connection with Judaism waned around the time she left her family's home for college.
Craig Maron, who grew up in Albuquerque, N.M., had belonged to a Reform synagogue along with his family. He, too, moved away from synagogue affiliation.
Last year, with daughters Matana, now 3, and Eden, 18 months, in tow, they felt ready to affiliate.
"They were definitely the reason why we made the final decision to do it," Andi Maron says, adding that it is important to her and Craig to expose their children to spiritual Judaism through synagogue, as well as to cultural Judaism at home.
The Marons, both in their mid-30s, chose Temple Chai, where they often attend Friday-night services and participate in a chavurah. They are enrolled in an advanced Jewish studies class that meets twice a month for three years.
Craig Maron serves on the temple's Shalom Center committee.
Andi Maron says of the advanced studies class: "It's teaching me a lot about the Torah. I'm more of a Jew by culture than I am by religion, and this is giving me a nice insight into the religious aspects of Judaism."
She also marvels at the fact that daughter Matana is beginning to understand what it means to be a Jew.
"She knows to be quiet when we're (in the synagogue), and to respect God. ... Even though she's 3, she knows it's a very special place."
For Du Bro, who is 28, joining a synagogue as an independent adult came with the territory.
As a young 20-something, he says he "wasn't ready," although he attended High Holiday services with his family in Ohio and involved himself in Jewish activities in the Valley.
Then three years ago, when Du Bro went to work as administrator for Temple Emanuel, he became highly involved there. He says it has a lot to offer people of all ages.
He explains that whether or not a young adult decides to join a synagogue "all comes down to responsibility."
"Do you want to join a gym and go on a couple extra trips (with your money), or do you want to support your Jewish community and learn and grow with it?" he says.
Another determining factor in relation to affiliation stems from one's background.
"Several Emanuel members joined right out of college because that was important to them," Du Bro says. "If someone has been into the faith and that's been a high priority their whole lives, they will join."
What's holding them back
Despite what synagogues have to offer, many young Jews reason that they are not attracted to synagogue life, cannot afford it and would rather hold out until they form their own families, or until their children are school-age.
A primary reason young adults choose not to affiliate is cost.
"I won't get that much out of (being a member of a synagogue) for what it costs to join. That could be a down payment on a house," says Jimmy Shapiro of Phoenix. Thirty and single, he says he probably will continue to travel back to his hometown of Cherry Hill, N. J., to attend services with his family, or not attend services at all, until he marries and has children. Only then, would he consider joining a local synagogue.
Sharon Wilensky of Scottsdale, 25, engaged to be married next June, says money weighs heavily on her decision not to belong to a synagogue.
"Even if I found a synagogue that would work for me, I would still wait to join because I have other things to pay for and worry about (financially) right now, and synagogue is not that high a priority to me that I'm willing to pay for it," she explains.
Because a number of synagogues offer reduced membership rates for those who cannot afford to pay full dues, some people view the money issue as an excuse, while acknowledging that young adults may be paying school loans and beginning mortgages.
Sidney Brodsky, vice president of membership for Temple Beth Sholom in Chandler, says the temple offers young adults memberships reduced by half of what a family membership costs, when appropriate.
"You're talking about $35 to $45 a month," Brodsky says. "For most professionals, that's not an exorbitant amount. ... Our litmus test is, 'Can you afford cable?' ... (A membership) is about the same price as cable TV, and we offer a lifestyle with that."
"I don't think money is enough of a reason not to join," says Jeremy Marwil, a single 27-year-old who recently moved to the Valley from Rockford, Ill., and is shopping for a synagogue. "That's a bit of a copout and it's not being serious. There isn't any synagogue that wouldn't look at someone's (financial) situation and say, 'We'll take this (into account).' ... There is no synagogue that's not going to let you through its doors."
At Emanuel, full-time students and members of the military may attend High Holiday services for free. In addition, says Rabbi Andrew Straus of Emanuel, young couples and singles pay less than families to belong.
"We are proud of the fact that we say no one will be turned away for financial reasons," he says. "We'll work with them."
Young Israel, Temple Chai, Temple Beth Israel and other congregations also offer reduced rates to young adults.
Congregation Bais Menachem/Chabad-Lubavitch, an Orthodox synagogue, has no membership dues. Says Rabbi Zalman Levertov, "When you tell people the doors are open, it makes it easier for them to come."
Participation in Chevra at ASU, geared toward 20-30-year-olds, is also free, except when a program includes dinner.
Cost aside, young adults are also reluctant to affiliate because they fear that no synagogue will be able to offer them everything they're looking for, whether it be a social atmosphere, an educational and spiritual environment, or a home away from home.
"If I were to join a synagogue," says Wilensky, "I would look for one where there were other people in my age range ... and where I felt comfortable."
While synagogues may effectively address educational, spiritual and comfort needs, their social programs - especially for singles - are, for the most part, less successful, Jewish leaders admit.
"We have reached out on several occasions to young singles ... and we've had virtually no response," says Joel Smith, program coordinator for Temple Beth Israel. "We said we'd be happy to plan some singles events but got terrible response. Now, we recommend JASS or some other singles groups ... if people call us and ask us about that."
Straus explains that unless congregations collaborate among themselves or with other Jewish agencies, synagogue-based singles groups will never work.
"There's no sense in each congregation starting its own singles program," he says, "because there is already a limited pool of (single Jews in the Valley). If you divide that pool by however many (singles programs there are), you end up with 15 people (at events) rather than 70. A program must have critical mass to be successful."
And there are some who believe that synagogues are not obligated to provide social lives. Silver suggests that Jews who are looking to a synagogue simply for social connections should keep in mind that such thinking "goes against the grain of what Judaism is all about."
The solution
While planners address the needs of young adults, they should also work to attract junior-high and high-school students to Jewish life, suggests Du Bro.
"If we (show) the kids how important it is to be Jewish, when they (get older), they'll have that built into them," he says. "If we invest in high-school and junior-high kids now, then later on, when the money is there, they'll join a temple."
Rabbi Barton Lee, director of Hillel and Chevra at ASU, agrees. He helps young adults ages 20-30, many of whom are new to the area, move from Chevra into the larger Jewish community through involvement in synagogues and Jewish agencies.
"We're eager to get them to take a course at the Bureau of Jewish Education (or join a synagogue)," says Lee. "We encourage them to move out (of Chevra life) when they get into their 30s, and we tell them that it's time to join a synagogue."
Lee feels that if synagogues were to offer leadership positions, trips and retreats for young people, their desire to affiliate might increase.
Straus believes it would behoove the Jewish community to work together in embracing young adults.
"This is a community we need to invest in," he explains, referring to young people. "You join a congregation because you want to be part of a community.... You join because it's part of a community of Israel. And being a Jew means supporting all of the community, learning from the whole community and celebrating with the community."
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