Published: 28 March 2018
Last updated: 4 March 2024
For the traditional reading of the Megilah, we went to our local Reform Synagogue, Congregation Beth Elohim (CBE), which was founded in 1861 as Jews were moving into Brooklyn. During its 150 years it went through ups and downs as Brooklyn was constantly changing. Today, the congregation is enjoying the revitalisation of the nearby neighbourhoods and the infusion of young families.
The synagogue has an impressive old building and even a small swimming pool at the basement. CBE is led by a very charismatic rabbi, Rachel Timoner - a warm, inclusive and inspiring religious leader. Rabbi Timoner and her team promote social justice projects, interfaith dialogue and Israel engagement.
In addition to the main community, CBE hosts a group of young families who run a more traditional egalitarian service, called Altshul. Many members of Altshul are Jewish professionals holding senior positions in Jewish organizations in the New York area or people who grew up in more traditional settings. The reading of the Megilah was done by skillful members of Asltshul and CBE as the two communities came together for the Purim event. Around 500 people of all generations, many dressed in costumes, filled CBE’s magnificent sanctuary on a chilly winter week night. The atmosphere was very lively and the costumes were colourful.
The next morning I hopped on my bike and within 15 minutes I was in Borough Park, one of the four neighbourhoods that are home to the 300,000 Brooklyn Ultra-Orthodox Jews. Most of Borough Park’s Jews are Hasidic affiliated with the many Hasidic dynasties that were relocated from Europe after World War II. In Borough Park I saw how the public sphere can actually look quite Jewish. In addition to the many Jewish schools and yeshivot, synagogues and kosher shops all around – Hasidic Jews were filling the streets on a regular New York weekday with their Purim displays. Many were walking in the streets in costumes.
Men were wearing shtreimels (the fur hat normally worn on special days). People were carrying baskets and trays of mishloach manot that traditional Purim gift giving, rushing to the traditional Purim meals. When I stopped and asked people if I can take their pictures, they all happily agreed. All this happened in 2018 in America. There was no visible security in the area or any sense that a disruption could occur.
One thing that I noticed since my arrival in Brooklyn is the extent of the disconnect between ultra-Orthodox Jews and the rest of the Jewish community. In Israel, despite the animosity, Orthodox and non-Orthodox mix in many areas of life: politics, commerce, public transportation, parks and recreation, family relations and more. More so, in recent years we have seen a growing trend of integration of ultra-Orthodox Jews in the work force and in the military.
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This is not the case in New York and even more so in other parts of America. The main forces that lead the Jewish community are not the Orthodox. The top leadership of American Jewry is not Orthodox; many are identified as Reform and Conservative. The Ultra-Orthodox community that reconstructed itself in America after the Holocaust chose to separate itself from the story of American Jewry, which is a success story of Americanisation (that could lead to assimilation). The chance that a Reform or secular Jew will interact with an Ultra-Orthodox Jew is much lower.
This disconnect is also apparent in Jewish public life. Ultra-Orthodox Jews do not participate in Jewish communal institutional activities, they do not attend Jewish community centres and they are also absent from Israel advocacy organisations. They tend to concentrate in urban centres, around their parochial institutions and communal structures. They have their own tzedakah (charity) funds that serve their community, and they do provide an elaborate support system in the area of hospitals and health care for all Jews.
I don’t let demographic data dictate my work. I work with those who seek a meaningful Jewish life, and there we have a lot to offer.
In fact, the Ultra-Orthodox in America have their own global relations with the Ultra-Orthodox in Israel and in other places around the world. Non-Orthodox Jews tend to accept this reality and unlike in Israel, they do not have any political battle ground against the Orthodox on the use of resources, religious codes and control.
Back to the exploration of liberal Jewish life in Brooklyn: the gentrification of many neighbourhoods in Brooklyn brought an infusion of Jews to the area. Young and educated Jews moved into a range of neighborhoods in pursuit of housing and a better quality of life. As they were relocating, many were looking for Jewish connections. Some joined the established Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist congregations that have been around for many years, other formed new frameworks around meals, holidays and family meetings.
In speaking with a Reform rabbi in the trendy Brooklyn Heights area, he confirmed that many of his congregants live in mixed interfaith families, but seek meaningful Jewish connections. When asking him about the future of the Jewish community in America he replied: “I don’t let demographic data dictate my work. I work with those who seek a meaningful Jewish life, and there we have a lot to offer.”
Pesach is around the corner. In New York it will be fairly easy to observe the holiday. The economy of scale provides plenty of Kosher for Passover options. Pesach is still the most celebrated Jewish ritual. New York will offer many “seders” including fancy restaurant ones, not necessarily kosher but lively and attractive. The New York Times will reprint its classic, matzah ball and recipes. But what is the meaning of Pesach in our times? What do American Jews mean when they say: Next Year in Jerusalem?
Main photo: Chasidic Jews celebrate Purim in Brooklyn (Mark Abramson/New York Times)
