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GATHERING THE EXILES by Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon "While we believe that there are about 30,000 Jews in the Tucson area, only about 6,000 belong to temples." You all know the old joke: a Jewish castaway is discovered living completely alone on a desert island. He has been marooned there for 10 years, and although lonely he has not been idle. Eagerly, he tours his rescuers through the street of the wonderful little town he has constructed by hand to keep himself busy-his house, his store, even his own gym. When they reach the end of the street, he shows them two beautiful buildings on opposite sides- each featuring a large Star of David. "What is the building on the right?" the captain of the rescuing ship asks. "My synagogue," the castaway says. "And the building on the left? Isn't that a synagogue too?" asks the captain. "In that one," the castaway says, "I wouldn't be caught dead!" Here in Tucson, we are told, many Jews wouldn't be caught dead in either synagogue. One of the most interesting aspects about the Jewish community here is its affiliation rate with synagogues-or, rather, its non-affiliation rate. Following a trend that other Southwestern U.S. city dwellers seem to fall into, at most only about 20% of Jews here join a temple. The national average in America is considerably higher, dramatically so in some regions. In spite of significant growth in the number of Jews living in Southern Arizona, the percentage who actively engage in Jewish life by joining a temple remains disappointingly small. While we believe that there are about 30,000 Jews in the Tucson area, only about 6,000 belong to temples. While our own dramatic growth at Temple Emanu-El over the last seven months or so seems to contradict this 20% number-we have grown something on the order of 35% since last June, thanks to the leadership of our membership chair Carole Levi and her excellent committee - demographers assure us that it is accurate. Leaders in the local Jewish community are currently trying to come to grips with the best way to deal with this challenge, for there can be no question that Jews who belong to synagogues are the most actively Jewish in education, ritual observance, tzedakah, and social action. If we want our community to thrive, we must seek to find ways to increase the level of connection among the large population of unaffiliated Jews. In truth, no one has the precise answer for why Jews here seem to be less connected than Jews elsewhere in America. Perhaps it is the immigrant nature of Tucson's population, the many transplanted Midwesterners, New Yorkers, and even (perish he thought) Californians. Perhaps it's the migratory nature of so many Tucsonan Jews, who start out their residencies as snowbirds, and even after moving here may never fully adapt into the Jewish community. Perhaps some feel that they devoted time and energy back in their cities of origin, they "paid their dues". Perhaps it's a question of finances-being Jewish can be expensive-or simply the nature of westerners, who prefer not to connect too tightly to groups. I would not care to pretend that in a little over half a year I had divined the secret reason why so many have not felt the need to connect Jewishly as much as we would like. But, by simply asking a question, I believe we can suggest some ways in which we can begin to meet this challenge, so that we may succeed in making this into a more committed and involved Jewish city. The key question we need to answer is, "how can we become a better temple?" If we can answer that question we will undoubtedly continue to grow and to attract some of those unconnected Jews into our midst. How can we become better? First, we here at Temple-through the leadership of Dana Adler and her Welcoming Community, especially Neil and Karen Brown and Sonny and Michael Kaye- have begun the important process of making our temple into a welcoming, warm, enjoyable place to be. Whether or not someone comes here with the intention of truly joining us, we want them to feel good about being here. Greet people warmly when you see them at temple, even if you don't know them. Listen to them; connect to them. Extend yourself to invite Jews in the community who are unaffiliated to come to events here. We will strive to make them feel welcome. Next, we must make certain that the religious services and educational programming we offer are of the highest quality, for adults and teens as well as for children. Tucson is a great place to live, with many attractive lifestyle options. We must make seek to make Judaism the most compelling of these options. It has the most to offer-we must be sure to show that quality and creativity in our Temple's program. We must also work to be, quite simply, a better source of connection and support for those in emotional need. The great evil of the modern world has been the profound sense of loneliness and alienation that permeates our culture. On an individual basis, each of us can do something about that. Through our Caring Community, also chaired by Dana, we have collectively begun to reach out to those in need of emotional support and contact. We can each do this individually, demonstrating caring and involvement, and we can join in the committee work that does this collectively. This, too, brings people back to temple, and to Judaism. Finally, we as a congregation, and each one of us as individuals, can work to deepen our own commitments to our adult Judaism, to study, to pray, to creatively engage with our astonishingly rich tradition. Many people turn to religion for answers. In Judaism, we seek instead to find the proper questions. If we can continually ask ourselves "how can we be a better congregation?" we will improve as a congregation and community. If each of us can also continue to ask "how can I be a better, more connected Jew?", we will also improve our wisdom, our commitment, our community, and our lives. From the February 2000 Temple Times |
