My own South Jerusalem congregation, Yedidya, is on the progressive end of Orthodoxy, and that’s where I’m comfortable. During some synagogue-hopping in New York, though, I came across the egalitarian community of Kehilat Hadar, part of the growing movement of independent minyanim, and it inspired some unexpected, unconventional optimism about the next generation of American Judaism. My latest American Prospect article explains:
Halfway through the Saturday morning service, it struck me: A transcript of the service would be no different from that of a standard Orthodox Jewish service. We were faithfully adhering to the unamended, centuries-old traditional Hebrew liturgy. A transcript, however, would not show that men and women were sitting together, without the physical divider that separates them at an Orthodox synagogue, or that women were leading parts of the service — another blatant egalitarian break with Orthodoxy.
For that matter, a transcript wouldn’t show the fervor of the singing — by the congregation, not just the leader — in the rented church basement on New York’s Upper West Side. It wouldn’t indicate that nearly everyone there was between 20 and 35 — precisely the demographic that professional leaders of established denominations of American Judaism ritually complain they have trouble getting into synagogues. But this congregation, known as Kehilat Hadar (“community of splendor”) doesn’t belong to an established denomination and quite deliberately doesn’t have professional clergy. Lay members of the loose-knit community lead the services.
In New York intermittently to teach, I ended up at Hadar on the advice of a progressive Jewish blogger. Hadar is a central institution in the growing, rather anti-institutional movement of “independent minyanim” — Jewish prayer communities that do not identify with the established denominations. Both Hadar and the wider movement neatly subvert much conventional thinking about American Judaism, and American religion in general. …
Read more here, and return to South Jerusalem to comment.
My concern is that these independent minyanim tend to undercut the pressure for halakhic egalitarianism within the Orthodox framework. Each time increased women’s participation at places like Kehilat Hadar is touted as a “blatant egalitarian break with Orthodoxy” — and lumped in with mixed seating — it becomes an arrow in the quiver of people trying to delegitimize places like Yeshivat Maharat.
I’m not really sure what’s so special about these independent minyanim, anyway: with apologies to Will Rogers, I don’t belong to any organized religion — I’m Orthodox. Unlike the monolithic institutions that define Reform and Conservative Judaism in the U.S., self-described Orthodox congregations have a wide variety of institutional affiliations, from Young Israel, to the Orthodox Union, to the Agudah, to none of the above. I’ve davened at several independent minyanim (always ones with mechitzot, though!), and they’re often wonderful communities, but I can’t help but feel that they’re trying to carve out space where none exists.
raghav- you are coming at this a bit backwards. As a participant at several minyanim similar to hadar, we are not part of the fight for women’s participation within orthodoxy. Its just not our fight. Personally I grew up modern orthodox and burned out on the fight years ago. We have our vibrant egalitarian communities, and I don’t think our existence is impeding egalitarianism- put the blame on aguda and RCA honestly. Whether or not Hadar flourishes (which I expect it will) too much of the orthodox world defines itself by being anti-feminist. I don’t see that changing any time, but if that’s your fight good luck.
What space do they provide? They provide space for non-orthodox Jews looking to not be in monolithic institutions, to daven at a place that is both in line with out values and where people daven with kavana, and with the beauty of the traditional liturgy.
This is all touching upon something very new and exciting, Gershom. Groups like Leadel.net are also bringing in new Jewish voices, not just religious but also from other areas like culture and politics. It looks like this all part of the continuing evolution of our tribe.
Sarah, that’s totally fair. What I remain puzzled about is why someone who self-identifies as Orthodox — with the concomitant beliefs and dispositions — would both praise the egalitarian practices of independent minyanim, and characterize these practices, which can be defended from within an Orthodox framework, as non-Orthodox. Of course, I’m assuming that Gershom does consider himself Orthodox (this blog describes itself as “progressive Orthodox”), rather than just finding traditional liturgy and the other trappings of Orthodoxy congenial.