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Recently, Ed Reilly, who reports for our local channel 7 news affiliate, WKBW, broadcast a wonderful story on the challenges facing religious institutions and the national trend of declining affiliation rates. I was both honored and humbled to participate.
2 Comments
Heather
3/6/2016 07:27:55 am
Thank you for sharing this. It's a topic that has been on my mind quite a bit and that I have discussed with Jewish friends. We see significant lack of engagement with the middle-aged (35-55) single/divorced population amongst suburban congregations. There are many frustrations with social programming that does not reach out to singles/divorcees/single parents and focuses on the intact nuclear family unit. Also fee scales do not target this financially stressed population. Many feel alienated, despite feeling a strong connection with Judaism and other Jews. And for many in this group, with full-time jobs and oarenting responsibilities, traveling to the urban congregations that target singles is impossible. Just some thoughts . . .
Rabbi Gary Pokras
3/6/2016 09:21:41 am
Thank you Heather. I think you are spot on. While there are notable exceptions, synagogues, like most religious institutions, tend to be conservative by nature, meaning they lean towards conserving the past. While stability is important (which is a benefit of this approach) a negative outcome is exactly what you describe - a significant gap in meeting the needs of the many people who do not fit into traditional family structures. This is not acceptable. We do not have the resources to simply add more programming and staff to meet the growing needs of our people today if we continue to operate according to the same model. And, we need to find ways to engage not only the singles/divorcees/single parents in personal and meaningful ways, but also empty-nesters, retired folks, LGTBQ Jews and more. The bad news is that most synagogues haven't figured out how to adapt yet. The good news is that there is a tremendous amount of Jewish religious innovation and entrepreneurialism springing up both within and without the organized Jewish community. We are getting there, and if history is an indicator, one of our greatest strengths as a tradition and a people is our ability to adapt when the world changes around us. Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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AuthorHi there! I am the senior rabbi at Temple Beth Ami in Rockville, Maryland, where I have served since 2016. Archives
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