The Contemporary American Synagogue: High Holy Day Reflections
At this season of our renewal, synagogues are very much in our consciousness. Our sanctuaries hold special meaning for us, especially at this sacred and special time of the year.
A 2020 Pew study found that 20% of US Jews show up to synagogue at least once a month, compared to only seven years earlier where more than 25% were present. In the past two decades, more than a third of Conservative synagogues and a fifth of Reform synagogues have “gone out of business”.
As with churches, synagogues are facing today serious operational and structural challenges. What are the contributing factors?
EXPECTATIONS UNREALIZED:
Whether driven by a congregational board or by synagogue members, there are always “expectations” especially directed toward our clergy. Various themes drive these considerations: Why isn’t the rabbi weighing into politics? When should clergy critique Israel? Why isn’t our synagogue religious leadership focusing on our tradition?
There are other expectations that our members have in connection with what they expect from their synagogue. Some of these deal with mission and others with programming; these may include disagreements over liturgy and music, religious school scheduling and content, or dues and budgetary matters, etc.
PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGES:
Today’s clergy are expected to be masters of multiple skills and disciplines. The growing expectation that rabbis are not only masters of the tradition but will also be therapists and counselors, fund-raisers and managers, educators and promoters, authors and commentators has added to the pressures and challenges facing congregational professional leadership. And all of this is leading to the decision on the part of some rabbis to leave the congregational rabbinate:
…The most common clergy concern that transcends all denominations and traditions is a sense of loneliness—of differentness—of being an integral part of a community and people’s lives but still living on a different plane.
COSTS of DOING BUSINESS:
The future of the American synagogue is in part tied to its financial health. The inflated expenses associated with salaries, maintenance, denominational dues, the accelerated cost of food and supplies are but a few of the budgetary challenges facing 21st Century synagogues. Accordingly, synagogue dues and membership obligations have correspondingly increased and the need for alternative income sources has become a central priority.
When the issue of the “cost of Jewish living” is fully embedded into such a discussion, the impact on individual Jewish families can be particularly challenging. Increasingly, we are seeing Jewish households making “choices” over how and what to expend in connection with their Jewish participation.
THE CULTURE of BELONGING
While certainly not all congregations are experiencing the combination of a greying membership base along with declining numbers of new families, this demographic phenomenon is no doubt impacting many of our synagogues. Adding to this challenge has been the corresponding rise of the “Religious Nones”, younger Americans who are opting out of religious affiliation. The idea of synagogue loyalty that once defined generational patterns of belonging, especially to one’s “home” congregation, has all but disappeared.
COMPETITORS:
Synagogues face today more competition than ever before. The growing presence, for example, of on-line “national” synagogue initiatives is reshaping the Jewish religious landscape. In addition, we can identify an array of start-up, boutique alternative congregational models, the marketplace is increasingly being saturated with an array of religious options.
Increasingly, there are websites and programs that provide individualized, personalized connections with Jewish sources, texts, and practices, offering an alternative, privatized way for folks to engage with the tradition.
DECLINE OF VOLUNTARISM:
America has seen a sharp drop in voluntarism, and this is also reflected in the synagogue world with its corresponding decline of available volunteers to assist with an array of tasks in support of various traditional activities including synagogue-based men’s and women’s groups, among an array of committee-based and traditional lay-driven activities.
WHEN RELIGION BECOMES POLITICAL:
There are growing cases examples of congregations, even movements, struggling with various political challenges and controversies. Indeed, when disagreements spill over from the board room to the sanctuary, these can be disruptive and divisive. Whether it involves a substantive issue, such as Israel, or a personnel matter, the effects can be devastating to a religious community.
REFLECTIONS:
So, where do we turn for some possible “fixes”:
Finding new income streams: There is a growing body of literature that is designed to explore alternative funding models for religious institutions.
Partnering with neighboring congregations: Already in play in various parts of the country, we are seeing a growing body of mergers, partnerships, and collaborative arrangements.
Looking at successful operational models: There is a body of thought that suggests that the Chabad model offers a structural direction and operational style that may have merit for the contemporary synagogue community.
But there are multiple other ideas and concepts that today are driving the religious market space.
MOVING FORWARD:
Writing about the state of the American synagogue, Matthew Schultz argues:
We may indeed be witnessing a decline in membership, but we shouldn’t confuse this with a decline in attendance or a decline in the synagogue’s significance to Jewish American existence. Attendance was always low. Non-affiliation was always the norm.
In this extraordinarily complex, tense, and divisive environment, the synagogue can and must be seen as a refuge. In some measure, this sacred space is unique in a society that is otherwise overwhelmed by messaging, drama, and conflict. Few places offer us community, provide a sanctuary of reflection, and remind us of our higher purpose.