Why Our Synagogues Remain Empty and Our People Disconnected

              There is a crisis in the American Jewish community. Throughout our history, the religion of Judaism has held the Jewish people together. Without distinctive beliefs, prayers, traditions, and a way of life, the Jewish people would have long ago dissolved into the majority populations in which they lived. But today, the majority of American Jews find no relevance in Judaism. The 2020 Pew report on Jewish Americans states that 53% find little to no relevance in Judaism. Another 26% only find religion somewhat important. This is evident in the statistics reflecting religious observance. Fifty-two percent never or seldom attend religious services, and another 27% only attend a few times per year. These same trends are reflected in the practices of prayer, kashrut, shabbat, etc. When asked why they find religion irrelevant, respondents give unhelpful answers: “I’m not religious,” or “I’m just not interested.”

              We must ask why this is the case. It is not necessarily because of a lack of belief in God. The overwhelming majority report a belief in some form of God or Higher Power. It may have something to do with the history of American Jews needing to neglect religion, particularly Sabbath and holiday observances, for the sake of survival. Once the habit of regularly attending shul dropped out of general American Jewish culture, it was unlikely to make a comeback. It could also have to do with the current economic situation of most American Jews. We tend to be highly educated and comfortably middle class, two traits that usually correlate with increased secularity. But this merely begs the question, now that American Jews have the time and money to spend on Jewish religious life, why do our synagogues remain empty?

              I believe the answer lies in something extremely basic: Judaism has no real effect on people’s lives anymore. It has become something that exists to confirm and bolster “Jewish identity,” offer comfortable nostalgia, a place to get married or have a bar mitzvah (again only for the sake of Jewish identity formation). But Judaism as a religious way of life is no longer seen as useful. It is something nice to do if they have time and nothing else.

              Throughout history, religions have been followed because the adherents believed they served a purpose. Just look at the Torah, especially the book of Deuteronomy. We are told, over and over, that obeying the commandments will result in material prosperity. Disobedience will result in calamity and death and suffering. God is shown to be the Protector, Liberator, Law-giver, Guide, and Provider. God plays a demonstrable role in the life of the people. And for millennia the stories of the Torah were confirmation of God’s power and role in the lives of the Jewish people.

              Of course, this picture of God quickly ran up against the “problem of evil.” Why did the righteous, like Job, suffer while the wicked prospered? The Rabbis of the Talmudic period came up with their answers, as did the theologians of the Medieval and early modern period. In answering the question, they moved God’s Providence to the afterlife. God and Torah observance were guarantees of future reward, even when the socio-political situation of the Jewish community was abysmal. Contrary to modern popular belief, Judaism has explicitly taught and upheld the idea of heaven and hell as well as the resurrection of the dead at the end of time. God had a very real role to play in the lives of the people.

              With the arrival of the Modern period, the belief in an afterlife and in miracles waned under the influence of Enlightenment philosophy. The faith of the Rabbis was simply no longer believable. Combined with the economic and political pressures to conform with the majority culture, adherence to Judaism suffered. The Torah became a book of fables, miracles were not real, God became little more than a symbol for goodness, and there was no real hope of an afterlife. Prayer, especially, had no function. After all, God wasn’t listening or couldn’t intervene. No wonder our synagogues stand empty and our people are disconnected from Judaism.

              So, what is the way out of this conundrum? It is unlikely that people will turn en masse to the “old time religion.” While there are significant numbers of Baalim teshuvah, that path remains a minority. Nor, frankly, is it a good idea. The traditional theology represented in Orthodoxy is simply not believable or compelling to most Jews. The intellectual and moral problems with Orthodoxy will not simply disappear.

              Mordecai Kaplan had the right idea of transvaluation, i.e. reinterpretation to fit the modern context. However, Kaplan’s theology suffers from the same defects that got us to this situation: an irrelevant God who is little more than a symbol. In order to make Judaism relevant, our theology must make God an experiential reality. God must make a real difference in our lives.

              We no longer hold the theology of the Torah or the Rabbis, or even of Maimonides. And in any case, concerns over cattle and land aren’t primary in our religious thought the way they were in an agricultural society. Living in the modern world, overwhelmingly in urban settings, our concerns are with relationships, mental and physical health, providing for our families, managing our emotions, living ethically, and so on. In short, religion needs to turn in a more psychological direction.

              There is a reason why practices like yoga, “manifesting,” meditation, affirmations, tarot, crystals, journaling, and therapy have become popular spiritual practices. These practices help us to manage stress, strengthen relationships, give a sense of connection and a modicum of control or insight into our lives. They are individualized and not hide-bound traditions. And, most importantly, the people engaged in them believe that they work. They experience the benefits directly.

              While some liberal movements have begun to incorporate some of these elements, they still remain constrained by the belief that Judaism must be presented in one way; alternative spiritual practices are seen as inherently inauthentic. The trend has been back towards “tradition” because they see the successes of Orthodoxy. But they fail to realize that Orthodoxy’s successes are grounded in “true belief.” Adherents to Orthodoxy truly believe in their faith; it is not simply a nice tradition or nostalgia. So long as liberal theology is unbelievable and/or irrelevant to life, a move toward traditional practices will make no difference.

              This is where I believe Jewish Science can make a difference. Unlike the larger liberal movements, Jewish Science has a single, coherent, and practical belief system that many ordinary Jews may already believe. The idea that God is the Source of all, that God is present in every element of reality, including within us. The belief that we can connect with the Divine within us through prayer and meditation, and the source of Divine law is found in our consciences rather than the texts written centuries and millennia ago. Even the idea of “manifesting” is nestled comfortably at the heart of our spiritual practices. Although in our case it is focused on character development, healing the soul by manifesting our godly qualities, rather than receiving material goods. Most importantly, we explicitly teach that death is not the end of existence, but the beginning of eternal life with God, a doctrine woefully underemphasized in the liberal Jewish community.

              In Jewish Science we emphasize the practical application of spiritual principles to our lives now. Rather than being concerned with “Jewish identity” or halakha (which very few follow in any case), we are concerned with helping people find and apply the aspects of Judaism that will help them. We focus on building a real connection with the Divine rather than perfectly reciting Hebrew prayers or chanting from the Torah. We search the Torah and interpret it for spiritual meaning rather than to bolster our view of Judaism or to support our pet political cause. We focus on improving ourselves before we concern ourselves with the unending task of “repairing the world” because we know tikkun olam can only occur when each person makes the commitment to love and serve the Source of all goodness with all their hearts, souls, and strength.

              When we focus our energies on helping the individual find meaning and connection with the Divine, we will finally make Judaism a relevant and powerful force in our lives. If we remain stuck in tradition, nostalgia, and “Jewish continuity” Judaism will remain irrelevant. Our synagogues will remain empty, and liberal Judaism will effectively disappear. If that were to happen, leaving only Orthodoxy, many would simply walk away altogether. And without Judaism, the Jewish people will disappear into the majority population like the Lost Tribes of Israel.

              As liberal Jews, we believe that Judaism has always adapted to the age people live in. The Rabbis, Maimonides, the Kabbalists, the Besht, all recombined the elements of Jewish tradition to meet the needs of their communities. The needs of the community today lie in practical advice and spirituality that help us to live happy, healthy, and meaningful lives. Jewish Science offers exactly what our community needs today.