Smashing the Idols: A Not-Quite-Live-Blog Inspired by the Jewish Futures Conference

Tonight, JESNA, the Jewish Education Project, and UJA-Federation of New York sponsored the Jewish Futures Conference in New York City. The conference aimed to provide "a space to imagine, learn and engage in purposeful and courageous conversation about the future of Jewish community and education and how it can thrive in today's and tomorrow's world." (List of speakers here, and @askdeb's liveblog of the opening conference session here.)

Along with the 450 or so people in the room, the conference reached many Jewish Tweeters as well, resulting in a "virtual conference" of sorts as people outside the room watched the live stream and monitored the tweets tagged with #jewishfutures as they scrolled by. 

I had to go to sleep during the dinner break (I'm in Israel, 7 hours ahead of NY, which literally places me in the Jewish future), but I wanted to write a quick blog post about one of the more interesting exercises/challenges given by a speaker during the program. Rabbi Laura Baum, of OurJewishCommunity.org, involved people inside and outside the room by asking us (the entirety of the us) to challenge ourselves to identify which Jewish community idols we should smash. Here is a not-entirely-complete - but nonetheless fascinating - list of the words shouted out on Twitter as being in dire need of smashage. (Links to Twitter handles to come when I have time)...

Status  – bag the top 50 lists - @shaplev

Will I get in trouble for saying God, Torah, Israel? - @paulgolin

Unity - @nftyisrael

Synagogue school - @geek4grammar

Dual curriculum, denominations, comfort zone - @rabbirebecca

Classrooms – the physical space - @hopenyc

Dues - @momwig

Ownership, clergy, bnei mitzvah, education, shuls, lay leadership, denominations, business, consumerism, technology - @deborahfishman

Dues, rabbis, free, frontal, fear, exclusions, membership, boards, status - @ilanagarber

Denominations - @afine

Is it too controversial to answer Orthodox Rabbis? - @rsaidlower

History, classrooms, committees, conformity, supplementary - @irajwise

Hebrew school, the unknown, exclusivity, empty holiday rituals, membership - @lilylozovsky

The notion that failure is not an option - @david_wolkin

Free - @tamarsnyder

Hebrew school, denomination, bar mitzvahs/7^th grade grads, rabbis, otherness, bricks-and-mortar - @BI_Next

Denominations - @morahjulie

Hebrew - @multitaskr

Membership bar mitzvah dues programs overindulged free entitlement consumerism status overpriced tradition conservative - @ercomisar

Hebrew school - @nyccantor

Free, money, naming, ageism, bnai mitzvah - @jlearn20

Territorialism - @aimeeweiss

Services, congregations, bricks and mortar - @detfederation

getting rid of b'nei mitzvah ceremonies frees up supplemental education to meaning not performance - @jewishgps

JDate - (overheard at event and reported by) @pelie_org

Buildings, religious school, membership dues, Sat am worship - @jchicksrock

Affiliation - @denasw

Alienation from Jewish heritage - @reuw

Innovation - @saulkaiserman (overheard at his table)

mash the idol of youth=innovation. Here's to a boomer or a greatest-generationer winning #jewishfutures next year. - @Liz_fisher

While this is pretty unscientific data, it provides instant community biofeedback, takes the pulse of "the people" on which sacred cows might be holding back contemporary Judaism from maximizing its potential (or "the people"'s perception of what potential is). For instance, on that list is a rabbi saying that rabbis should be smashed, a Federation identifying bricks-and-mortar as an idol, and a pluralistic youth organization advocating for the decentralization of the concept of unity. Deeper analysis of the Tweeters and their words may reveal additional levels of this discussion (eliminating Hebrew, really?) and undoubtedly, echoes of this will continue online over the next day or so. How do we integrate all of these objections?

Of course, although this is only an exercise, designed to get us thinking outside the box by imagining a world where the biggest pains in our communal side get thornectomized, also identifies the excuses we use for not being able to move ahead with our own personal visions and projects. The question is how we use this generated list - do we ignore these challenges, succumb to them, blame them for our lack of progress, or choose to negotiate, to identify small changes we can make or bridges we can build between our visions of a Jewish future. 

You've read the list now. Maybe you've even watched the livestream. So? What do you think?

Comments

[Joyce Schriebman]

It may not be scientific, but the list has great potential as a mini-focus group.

Next Step: the institutions, et al mentioned in the stream should contact Tweeters for feedback.

You want to eliminate Hebrew School? Hebrew schools, contact nyccantor and find out what prompts the rebuff. No more membership dues? Get a creative chat going with a jchicksrock. Upset by status lists? (my personal favorite) Hey, Shaplev, why? Does it stratify and segregate more than inspire and motivate? Or are your knickers in a knot because your favs didn't make the cut?

Smashing idols is fun. The value's in understanding why the idols are unwelcome in the first place. When we have that information, then we can create programs without similar trappings.

[EstherK]

Fabulous points, Joyce. Looking forward to seeing how many organizations rise to this challenge and continue the conversation...

[Lisa Colton]

Change is hard. Mostly because it always involves loss. I do think that this paralyzes the Jewish community often. Framing a conversation around smashing idols celebrates and legitimizes this "loss" rather than lamenting it. While the specific things raised are interesting and perhaps insightful too, the whole exercise I think is an important shift in our thinking (and feeling) about change.

[Hillel Wallick]

I was there in person. There were a lot more than 100 people.

[EstherK]

Thanks, Hillel - I could only see part of the room on the livestream...am getting actual numbers and then will post them. 

[Zahava Tzipora]

I loved your line about literally being in the Jewish future. It was a great afternoon. Glad you could be in the room.

[Zahava Tzipora]

as for the number, I was trying to figure out tables and rows...there were probably about 1,000 people.

[EstherK]

Hi Zahava - thanks for commenting. I got the 450 number from one of the organizers, so I'm keeping that unless they tell me otherwise. And thanks for your comment about my "being in the Jewish future" line. Good to know the funnier moments are resonating in addition to the larger theoretical concepts. :)

[Wendy Brezin]

Almost all institutions have cycles of birth, productive periods, and increasing obsolescence unless they re-define themselves. The historic, political, cultural, and economic conditions change around us and cause us to question formal and informal rules, and their enforcement mechanisms. Jewish institutions are no different.

The practices of Judaism in the times of Moses and King David changed drastically as we moved through the expulsions, wanderings, and exposure to different ideas and cultures around the world. Even as our practices and institutions retained a multitude of our religious, ethical, moral, and cultural inheritances, the institutions that sustained those things exposed us to ever shifting forces. They have either undergone transitions or perished. Some organizations last longer than others do.

But when an institution's raison d'être reflects a reality that no longer exists, that is to say it is no longer relevant, or no longer supports us, by no means should we underestimate the powers of resistance to change or the smashing of idols.

The realities of global interconnectedness, the pace of technological change, the evanescence of life itself force us to challenge perpetually the status quo. What does seem to stay the same are the challenges of defining what needs are important, keeping members of the group involved, creating new leaders, the “in” group versus the “out” group, what tools will best produce success (however it is defined) , etc. Thirty-five years ago, I was considered a “leader”, but am past that stage now. So many issues regarding the creation of a secure and active community were true back then as well.

Ah, the impermanence of Eden, and yet what would life be if each generation did not strive for it?