This week I wanted to call your attention to a unique and innovative organization within the American Jewish community, Mechon Hadar. A recent article from the NJ Jewish Standard called, “Torah Belongs to Jews, Not Denominations,” gives an interesting profile of the organization and its leader, Rabbi Ethan Tucker (a link to the article is at the end of this e-mail).
Mechon Hadar bills itself as, “an educational institution that seeks to empower a generation of Jews to create and sustain vibrant, practicing, egalitarian communities of Torah learning, prayer, and service ( http://www.mechonhadar.org/).
Their two chief projects are “Yeshivat Hadar” (the first full-time, egalitarian yeshiva in North America) and “The Minyan Project,” an initiative that offers networking and consulting for more than 70 “independent minyanim” nationwide.
Machon Hadar’s interest in supporting independent minyanim (communities of Jews unaffiliated with a particular movement or synagogue, frequently founded by young adults) goes back to its roots, as they got their start in 2001 as the organizers of an Upper West Side minyan called Hadar, one of the country’s first independent minyanim. As a rabbinical student I had a number of occasions to pray with the Hadar minyan, and I always found the experience soulful and filled with joy. Hadar was defined by its warm and informal setting and by the high level of participation and singing. It was unique to any synagogue service I had ever encountered in the United States, and it was an uplifting and inspirational davenning experience.
Mechon Hadar and other independent minyanim pose a challenge to our traditional thinking about the Jewish community. They are not affiliated with any particular movement or denomination, and they frequently operate completely independent of any “mainstream” Jewish communal institutions. On the one hand, this can be frustrating to those who feel that the denominational structure is important. On the other hand, it seems hard to oppose any group that is compelling to young Jews, resulting in their feeling engaged, empowered, and committed to living Jewish lives.
I encourage you to check out the NJ Standard article. What do you think about this new phenomenon? Do you think denominations will continue to be important and relevant in the 21st century? Are you intrigued by Rabbi Tucker’s model?
http://www.jstandard.com/content/item/ethan_tucker_torah_belongs_to_jews_not_denominations/