As a Jewish leader I often hear concerns about how “the younger generation” needs to learn how to step up and support the Jewish community like their parents and grandparents before them. This sentiment is heard in synagogues, JCC’s and Federations across the country. Recently a classmate and colleague of mine, Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum*, published an article attempting to address this issue by exploring ways in which leaders from “Generation X” can work together with “Boomer” leaders to develop a strong and vibrant 21st century Jewish community.
Towards the end of her piece in Sh’ma Magazine, Rabbi Nussbaum asks some compelling questions about the ways in which younger and older Jewish leaders, and traditional and non-traditional institutional models in the American Jewish community might work together:
I ask my older colleagues: Can your generation of Jewish leaders take pride in the legacy you are leaving, even if younger leaders carve out new paths rather than follow directly in your footsteps? Can you accept that we might not want to assume the mantle of your existing institutions – even if you were willing to hand over the reins? …Can I convince you that preserving Judaism is more about the values and ideals we share than any particular institutional framework or established model?
I ask my peers: How might we express our gratitude to those who have paved the way for us and demonstrate appropriate humility? How can we absorb the depth of wisdom from people who have served the field over time, have lived with an innovative spirit and created their own communities in their day – even without making their choices our choices? Can we build bridges between the tendency to reject mainstream Judaism as outdated and the reality that, for the majority of American Jews, these institutions are and will remain at the heart of Jewish life for the near future?
I recommend you read the complete article: http://www.shma.com/2011/01/genxers-and-boomers-humility-and-tzimtzum/. What do you think about the issues Rabbi Nussbaum raises? Have you had any experiences with this issue in our local Jewish community? I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
* Rabbi Nussbaum is the rabbi of The Kavana Cooperative an independent Jewish community in Seattle that exists as an alternative to a traditional synagogue model (www.kavana.org).