Commitment-phobic? We’ve Got the Minyan For You
Lisa Sopher, Blueprint, April 29, 2004
With Orthodox Judaism confronting new roles for women; the Conservative movement debating the issue of homosexuality, and Reform turning to more traditional Jewish practices, a surprising cause may actually bring these denominations together: prayer. At least that’s what Uri Cohen, a fund-raising consultant living on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, hopes.
Cohen, 24, and a group of young professionals and graduate students from diverse Jewish backgrounds recently formed Tikvat Yisrael, a grass-roots organization, meaning “hope of Israel,” that is dedicated to bringing together Jews for three separate, simultaneous Shabbat evening services under one roof, followed by a catered kosher meal.
“The theory upon which Tikvat Yisrael is built is that now, as much as ever, it is critical for the various parts of the Jewish community to celebrate the bonds that unite them as parts of a larger, stronger whole,” said Cohen, who considers himself traditional egalitarian. “We believe that, today, commitment to prayer remains a powerful and fundamental bond which accomplishes just that.”
The group’s kick-off event on March 26th attracted more than 250 people for services and roughly 150 for Shabbat dinner. With separate Orthodox, traditional egalitarian (Conservative) and liberal (Reform) services on the same floor of the Abraham Heschel School at West 89th Street, young Manhattanites were able to go to whichever service they usually attend, or they could peek in at other services and perhaps try something new.
Ayala Zoltan, a 25-year-old student who went to the Orthodox minyan, said that she liked hearing the sounds of the other minyanim during different parts of services, which were held in nearby rooms where the doors were purposely left open.
At dinner, participants were seated with Jews from different professions and religious backgrounds, and each table had a captain, who tried to make people feel more comfortable. Participants also brought their friends to the event, but were discouraged from bringing a big group of people so that they could meet new people. At the meal, Cohen spoke about the week’s Torah portion, bringing together ideas from the speeches given at each of the services.
During table conversations, “people didn’t go into which minyan you went to,” said Andrew Bierbryer, who attended the event. “It defeats the purpose. There were no judgments from the start, where people usually size up who you are, where you’re from—people stayed away from it.”
Phil Meer, a 27-year-old software engineer, came out of the event with the same feeling. “They didn’t care which minyan you went to, but they allowed for interaction on a level playing field with other Jews,” said Meer, who comes from a Reform background. “Other Jewish organizations are not usually open to less observant Jews, but with the state of our religion today, we don’t need to be fragmented.”
To Noah Chinitz, a 23-year-old student, the event was reminiscent of his college days at the University of Pennsylvania, where he attended services and Shabbat meals at the campus Hillel. “Both are good because you don’t usually get to hang out with people of diverse backgrounds,” Chinitz said.
“Hillel is the place to go to for Jews on college campuses,” Cohen said, but post-college, “there isn’t much opportunity for Jews to rub elbows with Jews whose philosophies differ from their own.”
After observing the post-college Jewish community over time, Cohen realized that not only were Jews not familiar enough with other Jewish philosophies, but they “were stuck on the differences,” Cohen said. “It is important to see the similarities because even though we sing different songs, say different words and pray in different languages, we’ve all come to show our commitment to prayer.”
While there are plenty of organizations, such as Jewish community centers, that focus on bringing together Jews through social events, Cohen believes it is more meaningful to conquer stereotypes regarding different levels of observance among Jews. Through Tikvat Yisrael’s programs he hopes that the exposure to other kinds of Jews observing Judaism will “show that they’re more similar than they thought,” Cohen said.
The group’s next event—services and Shabbat dinner—is on June 25th, 7 p.m. at the Heschel School, 270 W. 89th St., between Broadway and West End Avenue, and costs $25. For more information, call (646) 382-1500 or visit www.tikvatyisrael.org.
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