Recent articles in major newspapers and magazines have touched on such topics as dehumanization in many workplaces, the isolation and loneliness that many people experience and the difficulty in maintaining long-term relationships. Additionally, many Jews have been experiencing antisemitism, governmental actions in conflict with their deeply held values and difficulty with what is happening in Israel and Gaza. All of those issues point to the importance of belonging to a strong Jewish community, whether it is a havurah, minyan or congregation. Such a community provides emotional support, reinforcement of values and a sense of belonging in a world where that is not easy to come by.
Americans tend to put an inordinate amount of stress on their marriages because most of us no longer live in close-knit neighborhoods. Because of educational and career mobility, it takes effort to sustain long-term relationships. Even the best of marriages cannot be expected to substitute for taking part in a dynamic community. Most members of congregations are only loosely involved. A strong community requires more commitment than that, and it gives much more in return: reinforcement of values, friendships, help in times of need, opportunities for personal growth and for deepening spirituality, aid in thinking through troubling issues, times to celebrate and mark life-cycle events, and much more.
To be part of a strong community, though, one must give up some autonomy. That is a particular challenge for Americans, with our stress on individualism. The Revolutionary War flag with a snake and the words “Don’t tread on me” and the Marlboro cowboy reflect attitudes deeply embedded in American culture. No one will give up part of their autonomy unless they perceive themselves as getting more value in return.
Strong communities provide emotional support, reinforcement of values and a sense of belonging in a world where that is not easy to come by.
Kaplan and Democratic Values
Reconstructionists have long asked how to create democratic community. That question shaped much of Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan’s thinking and action in the 20th century. Before discussing more about how to create strong community, I believe it would be worthwhile to reflect on that part of his journey.
Kaplan’s definition of Judaism is famous: the evolving religious civilization of the Jewish people. He devoted significant energy to creating a democratic framework for the whole Jewish people. At one point, he hoped that the World Jewish Congress would provide that structure, but that was not to be. He was also deeply involved in the effort to create an overarching structure for all the Jews of New York, the New York Kehillah (1)See New York Jews and the Quest for Community: The Kehillah Experiment 1908-1922 by Arthur A. Goren.. That, too, ended in failure.
What could provide the building blocks for sustaining the Jewish people? Kaplan saw the synagogue as a possible center for community. In 1922, he founded the Society for the Advancement of Judaism (SAJ), his synagogue on 86th Street in New York. From then until he retired and moved to Israel, Kaplan was there every week that he was in New York. He also thought that a Jewish center — a synagogue with athletic facilities and expanded cultural programming — could play a key role (2)See Shul with a Pool: The Synagogue Center in American Jewish History by David Kaufman.. The synagogue-center has not, however, stood the test of time because it is not financially sustainable for it to compete with modern fitness facilities.
Kaplan insisted that decisions at the SAJ be made democratically, but he pushed hard for changes that required considerable adjustment on the part of SAJ’s members. But even the SAJ did not fulfill the hope for a strong community. Kaplan noted with interest the Reconstructionist convention in 1960, where Ira Eisenstein and Jacob Neusner introduced the idea of havurot as intimate communities for the first time. The lack of strong community in most congregations led to the creation of the first modern havurot. They have continued to have their place in Jewish communal ecology, but they have never involved more than a small minority of American Jews. The search continues for forms that can sustain strong, democratic communities.
The more broadly responsibilities are shared, the deeper the belonging.
There is more at stake than helping Jews lead their best lives. The Jewish people as a whole can only be sustained by communities. In premodern times, organic Jewish communities produced the organizations they needed. In the contemporary world, Jewish organizations create communities. Congregations, havurot, minyanim, Jewish schools and Jewish community centers (JCCs) are the organizational structures that create and maintain communities.
Most congregations and JCCs, however, are minimum-liability communities where the only requirement is the payment of dues and fees (3)For a discussion of minimum and maximum liability communities see my article, Community: A Contemporary Challenge, Evolve, Feb. 10 2025. Usually, such minimum liability communities include some deeply involved people who are at the core of the community, while most of the members may occasionally attend services or use the facilities, though are not seriously engaged with the community. When engagement is minimal, the transmission of values and practices is usually also minimal. So is the sense of personal belonging and the weave of relationships outside the core members is usually shallow.
Since sustaining the Jewish people requires the transmission of Jewish culture, a test of whether a Jewish community organization is strong enough is how successful it is at that kind of transmission. The stronger the interpersonal relationships are, the more able the community is to achieve a high level of transmission. Thus, the vitality of the Jewish people requires intensive community. Here are some of the building blocks for strong Jewish community:
- A broadly shared calendar. Weekly, annual and even daily observance, including Shabbat and festivals, brings people into common life rhythms, reinforces their values and practices. and provides ample opportunity for sustained relationships. Shared prayer and song itself strengthens community.
- Shared responsibilities. When a community agrees that everyone will take turns bringing food and setting up Shabbat lunch, this moves people into active ownership of the community. The more broadly responsibilities are shared, the deeper the belonging. In havurot where people take turns hosting in their homes and leading programs and learning, the commitment runs deeper.
- Recognition of interpersonal obligation. When everyone in the community recognizes the obligation to help make shiva minyanim — to visit people who are ill and provide food for them, and to support people going through difficult times — every relationship is strengthened. The shared sense of mitzvah as a commitment of the group builds trust and makes real the central commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
- Learning. Studying together can bring new insights and deepen connections. Study can include classical Jewish texts, modern ones and cultural undertakings, such as reading contemporary literature, going to plays with Jewish content and so on. Learning also includes applying Jewish texts and values to the challenges of contemporary living and issues facing the Jewish community and the broader world. Learning, at its best, brings fresh thinking that helps communities to evolve and revitalize themselves. Study should span the lifecycle.
- Social life. There is considerable social activity that grows out of the calendar: potluck Shabbat dinners, lunch after services, Purim parties, and so on. There is also a need for social gatherings at other times. Some of these might take place around shared hobbies or games, and others might involve formal or informal get-togethers. Laughter is a form of communal glue. A congregational choir, for example, combines learning, social life and connecting to the worship cycle.
- Social justice. A Jewish community has responsibilities that go beyond itself. Facing the wrongs immediately around us and more broadly is part of our obligation to pursue justice. Facing difficult issues and responding to them is important for the integrity of the community, and it deepens the commitment of its members.
- Shared meals. Eating together can be a holy act. It can also be joyous and light-hearted. Food, too, brings people together in a special way.
Of course, not every member will be equally committed to each of these seven pillars, but urging at least some commitment to each one reinforces the community’s strength and its commitment to Jewish values and Jewish transmission. Individualists, anarchists and libertarians (I do not use these terms pejoratively) will object to this kind of community pressure, but it is what makes democratic communitarianism work. At its best, it creates amazing communities. And it brings joy, growth and a sense of belonging to its members.
A Jewish community has responsibilities that go beyond itself. Facing the wrongs immediately around us and more broadly is part of our obligation to pursue justice.
For several years after congregations started using synchronous online groups for study and worship, I argued against their use, saying they were weak substitutes for the real thing. I was wrong. The technology has improved since then, and many people are far better at using it for Torah study, worship and meetings than they were a decade ago. Distance learning radically reduces the time needed to attend a class, and it surmounts physical obstacles with ease. For those with mobility issues, it provides vital access. Today, it provides one more vital tool for community-building.
Objections to this kind of community need to be taken seriously. It can stifle minorities, engage in group think and avoid innovation. Those are all real dangers. One antidote to them is ongoing learning, including serious thinking about trends in the broader society. Another is ensuring that different leaders and teachers influence the group on a regular basis. A third is to work hard on making the group diverse in terms of age and perspective. Perhaps most important is to avoid stifling controversial subjects such as reparations, the Gaza war, the nature of gender and sexuality, and so on.
Another objection is that many Jews are not ready to make this kind of commitment. The numbers tell us that a significant number of Jews want to affiliate with minimum-liability congregations, where they can pay dues, and then pick and choose among the congregations’ offerings or decide to take advantage of none of them at all. It is a good thing that they have places to affiliate and make a Jewish connection; however, the Jewish world will only have a vigorous core outside the Orthodox world if there are communities where learning goes deeper and the intensity is stronger. I believe that the future of Jewish life depends on it.
