by Rabbi Judy Shanks
from the June-July 2008 Ruach
These past few weeks, I have been traveling abroad – first with a wonderful group of Isaiah members as we explored the history and contemporary worlds of Berlin and then Jerusalem, and in the weeks following, Jamie and I enjoyed time alone to explore new cities, take beautiful hikes, talk and read a much–needed and much–appreciated mini-sabbatical – thank you!
Most of us would agree that, although travel is exhilarating, “there’s no place like home.” I could not help but reflect and revel in the strengths and blessings of our Isaiah community as I observed congregations in Berlin, Jerusalem, and Istanbul struggling to maintain and grow Jewish life, against unremitting obstacles – each particular to its place. And, at the same time, I was moved to tears more than once by the sheer resilience of the Jewish people – whether it’s easy, hard, or in-between to be Jewish and live Jewishly in the places we find ourselves in the world – somehow we persevere, learn, teach, and celebrate.
The strongest communities not only survive, but thrive, because their members keep their roots deep in our tradition but are not afraid of change. The rabbi at Tzur Hadassah, our Israeli sister congregation, told me that he is rewriting and adapting the traditional prayers of the siddur because to native Hebrew speakers, the prayer book Hebrew is too antiquated to touch their hearts or spirits.
His comment made me think about how, during this past year at Isaiah, we made it a priority to consider and choose carefully the “languages” we would use to communicate the lessons of our tradition. For example, we “got shabbat,” got better graphics in our emails, stopped sending lots of snail mail letters that no one opens, became a “green” community, and we open new prayer books each Shabbat. Many of us have added a new women’s Torah commentary to our Torah study texts. And next month, our Temple Isaiah Shavuot is going to be held on Mt. Diablo.
Why? Because we are modern Jews living in a fast-paced world that competes nonstop for our attention. We have to keep up or be left in the dust. Yet we need not be afraid of change because we are rooted in Jewish tradition, and the goal of our changes is to bring our people into our midst, open their minds and hearts to learning and their souls to God.
The other “language” we use day by day to strengthen our Isaiah community, the language that never goes out of style, is the language that Martin Buber calls I-Thou. Every person who walks through our doors needs to hear in many different ways that he or she is, to us, a Thou – a person worthy of greeting warmly, of respect, of care – a person about whom we want to know what is right and what is wrong in his or her life, and how we can help. We are a big place, a busy place; but, we cannot be an impersonal place. In Israel I met a man who belongs to a congregation in Philadelphia and he said, “I went to a service at Temple Isaiah once – friendliest, warmest place I ever visited!” I couldn’t have been more proud of us. As we look to a new year, let’s make sure that our own members and all who visit feel exactly the same.
Change is not always easy, but it is good and healthy. We look forward to the new year with great excitement as we continue our sacred partnership with all of you, with our new president and his outstanding board, and with the Holy One of Israel, who has brought us to this moment in time in life and in health. May we go always from strength to strength. Amen.
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