Rabbis with hope

About 130 families are members of Rabbi David Fine's small congregation in Overland Park, Kansas. It is a small group, but a vibrant one, in his words. Fine is serving there for his fourth year, after serving for five years in a Milwaukee congregation. The synagogue is defined as Orthodox, but not all the worshipers are strictly observant. A Jewish community in the Midwest, says Rabbi Fine, is not like those in big cities such as New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Twelve new families have joined the synagogue within the past year and a half. A small number, but a significant addition. That differentiates it from most synagogues, in which the number of members is steadily dwindling. Some 33 percent of the rabbis who replied to a Rabbinic Leadership Survey conducted by STAR (Synagogues: Transformation and Renewal), an organization that is seeking new ways and new ideas for revitalizing American synagogue congregations, said their membership had decreased in recent years. Only 15 percent said their membership had increased. Some 22 percent reported fewer worshipers even on the High Holy Days.

The survey respondents, 118 in number, are all rabbis of congregations that have participated in STAR activities. They are not a representative sampling of American rabbis, but they seem to reflect the general mood. About half are Conservative and 44 percent are Reform. Fine is apparently the only Orthodox rabbi who participated. Nevertheless, he says, he believes that even among his Orthodox colleagues, many would agree with the results of the survey - which, despite its findings, conveys an optimistic spirit.

Rabbi Hayim Herring, the director of STAR, says he was surprised by the rabbis' desire to express support for Israel, and by the willingness that all of them displayed to talk to the "other branches" of the Jewish community. But the optimism reflected in the survey impressed him most of all. And in fact, it is hard not to be excited by it. About two thirds of the rabbis say that American Jewry is at present in the midst of a true "renaissance," and only 19 percent believe it is on the decline.

This optimism is one of the outstanding characteristics of the American ethos. Fine believes it is inherent in Judaism too. The rabbis have set themselves challenges, through which they will try to prove that the future indeed heralds innovation and growth. They want greater "involvement" in the community (57 percent) and they want to preserve Judaism as a "relevant" factor in the coming years (33 percent).

In any case, the rabbis believe that during the coming three years, more adults will study Judaism (54 percent), the youth will be more involved (44 percent), synagogue attendance will increase (37 percent) and the number of those observing Jewish rituals will increase (36 percent). Half the rabbis (50 percent) also believe that Jewish support for Israel will become stronger. The vast majority, 72 percent, devoted a section to Israel in the major sermon that they delivered in synagogue during the High Holy Days.

Many of them see themselves as "administrators" (32 percent) more than religious leaders (28 percent). That is their way of saying their job is to initiate activities, to establish ties, to reach out to new audiences. There is a great deal of competition, says Fine, and one has to compete. He is not discussing competition from synagogues on the other side of the street, but rather the general market for whose customers he is fighting - a market whose temptations are many and whose customers are impatient. Whoever does not offer a sufficiently competitive program will go bankrupt.

For Jews who are interested in maintaining ties among themselves, there are many alternatives: community centers, small havurot (study and prayer groups), literary clubs, study programs. One does not necessarily have to attend a synagogue. It is necessary to try to attract those who are not interested. Eighty-six percent of the rabbis said it was very important to reach out to this large public, which is gradually cutting itself off.

But the competition does not discourage the rabbis. Herring, in an effort to explain the findings - "it's only an educated guess," he cautions - believes the competition actually motivates them. So many inventions, such impressive revitalization, give reasons for hope. He mentions birthright, a program that sends young people to Israel, and the student organization Hillel, which has changed beyond recognition, as well as a genuine "explosion" of adult education and Jewish cultural programs.

And what about the familiar warnings about assimilation, the abandonment of Jewish institutions, the low birth rate and alienated young people - where are these elements in the survey? Herring confirms the picture is more complex than that reflected in the rabbis' answers. But, he says, what they think "may very well be correct." Therefore, it is better for them to think so. This is exactly the way to encourage them to take action against "the very strong forces that are pulling Jews away."