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| Community Rabbi available for coffee and conversation |
I will admit, in the past I lacked a good term, so I sometimes described myself as an independent Rabbi, when asked about what synagogue I will be working with. Usually, a synagogue is automatically the first thing everyone thinks of when you say "rabbi."
I am not overly fond of the designation "independent" when it comes to Rabbi, just as I don't care for the terms "independent Judaism" nor for descriptors such as "Judaism Your Way" or "DIY Judaism." I understand the meaning of these terms, and do not disagree with the thoughts behind them––that these terms describe ways of living Jewishly without synagogue or movement affiliation, and by embracing Judaism on a very personal level. Still, though, these terms leave me wanting. They seem to define by lack and what one is not rather than by exuberance and positivity and what one is.
On Wednesday morning a friend asked me, again, about me working for/at a synagogue and would I be moving to New York where my ordination took place. Lacking other words at that moment, I said once again, "I am an independent Rabbi," in an attempt to help her understand my rabbinic work.
As I was driving home, I realized how much I don't really like that term. And I was able to finally understand why. As I wrote, that term defines me by contrary, by what I am not and with whom I am not affiliated. It does not describe who I am and who I serve. It is negative, not positive, nor is it affirming. I've also never liked calling myself unaffiliated, whether as a Jew or a Rabbi. Why? Because this makes it seem as if 'standard affiliation' with one of the "Big Four movements" is the only 'norm', the only 'authentic' way to be Jewish and to be a Rabbi. And, as noted, by its very nature, 'unaffiliated' defines me by something I am NOT doing in a way that standardizes what seems to be 'missing.'
The real fact is, I am not unaffiliated, and there is nothing missing in my Judaism nor my work as a Rabbi. I am not aligned with any one particular movement; I draw inspiration from several of them. Nor am I aligned with any one particular synagogue. There are many reasons for this, but suffice it to say that I am not at all alone in this. Furthermore, I am very affiliated with G!d and with my community...... and it is G!d to whom I answer, and my community, both real life community and online community, whom I serve.
If you look at any recent data, you will see that all religion-related memberships are, on the whole, in decline. Some have concluded that this is because people aren't as religious as they once were. For more than three decades, there has been a significant increase in awareness of the terms spiritual and spirituality, and many more people find a resonance with these terms than they do religion and religious worship and membership in typical churches and synagogues.
In other words, people are growing beyond the confines that the major denominations and religions have placed on people for millennia. We are, in a sense, taking greater ownership in our spiritual growth. Many of us are no longer content to show up on a Sunday, (or a Saturday), say some communal prayers, sing a few outdated hymns, and be on our merry way with that obligation behind us for the next 6 days. We want more bang for our buck, and church/synagogue membership just isn't doing it for us. We see buckets of money going to pay for buildings and staff, and very little going into what seems like real ministry. Small congregations cannot afford to have rabbis or ministers! And on it goes...
Religion, which means "to bind", tried to bind us to good behavior and G!d through rules, and prescribed, scripted communal rituals. Spirituality takes us out of that box and brings us to ourselves and into relationships and a greater sense of community with like-minded people. We once owed allegiance to a religion or a church. Now many of us have evolved and we look for ways to grow and color outside the lines, and see what beauty unfolds.
Forty years ago, there were no books like Walsch's Conversations With G!d. We had priests and ministers telling us how to live and what to believe and even for whom to vote, and assuring us that as long as we followed the rules, we were going to heaven. And then, perhaps in the aftermath of the 60's and the Age of Aquarius, we decided that just maybe there was something more to it, and that other religious traditions might also have a thing or two that could inform us as humans living in a global world. Then came the internet, and we were connected in ways we had never before imagined. All of that has influenced the ways in which we connect, relate, identify, and seek a greater wisdom and common bond that is more universal in scope.
Back to being a Community Rabbi….. I first want to note that this term is coming into more and more common usage here and there, even in Israel, for Rabbis who have been duly ordained, but do not work in or for a synagogue. They go out into the community, and meet the people where they are. However, in every case I have so far been able to find, each of these Community Rabbis are working with other Jews doing only Jewish things. They are meeting the people where they are, but it is very Jewish. Jewish weddings, funerals, bar and bat mitzvahs, etc. Jewish Rabbis working in the greater Jewish community. If the Jews won't or can't come to the synagogues, the Community Rabbis go to them. It is a good thing.
BUT, I am taking this idea of community and expanding it. My call is not to serve Jews. Well, not only Jews. My call is to serve people, regardless of their religion or lack thereof. My call is to serve the much, much larger community, and not just in Jewish ways. I am well-versed in many religious traditions, and can meet people where they are. I am NOT out to proselytize or convert a single person. That is not my job nor my intention. Ever.
So the term "Community Rabbi" describes for whom I work, and serve. While most rabbis work for or serve a synagogue or specific Jewish community, I do not. A synagogue rabbi is hired to work for a synagogue and its membership and programs. Sometimes those programs reach out into the greater community, yes, but the focus is always the synagogue community first.
Similarly, pastor is a term for a minister assigned to a specific congregation/ church. Minister is a bit more generic term, and chaplain more generic yet. There are specific church ministers, and there are also community ministers, which we usually think of working in urban areas in soup kitchens and with the poor and homeless or other challenging situations. These are indeed good ministries! our world is blessed to have community ministers who will do this work!
We are also familiar with college, hospital, and military chaplains. They serve a wide range of people, wider than even community ministers, in terms of religious traditions. Their limitations are in terms of the population for which they are paid to serve––a particular college campus, or the military, or a particular hospital. Most of these chaplains are Christian, and some are Jewish, and a few are of other religious traditions. But the job of a chaplain is always to put aside their personal beliefs and work with the individuals of a particular community they are hired to serve.
The confusion about my work, I think, is a result of the fact that the Rabbi title has a long history of being attached pretty much exclusively to a specific synagogue or Jewish congregation, except for Jewish military chaplains or Jewish hospital chaplains. But I am taking the challenge to choose to work not in a synagogue, or Jewish religious organization or institution, nor to work as a chaplain in a specific population such as a college or a hospital.
As a Community Rabbi, I am available to the entire community--Jewish, not Jewish, and everyone in-between. My work is to connect people to one another, to support and encourage, and to explore the possibility of deeper spiritual meaning in daily life. This is my personal charge as an ordained Modern Rabbi.
Whether it is pet bereavement or a challenging life situation or someone just needs to reach out for a bit of hope or inspiration, G!d has asked me to respond with kindness and compassion. I will also do educational work by way of classes and writing and study groups as I can. And I am also here to answer questions people might have about Judaism or other religious traditions, and while I don’t have all the answers, I can certainly assist in both of us looking for them. Mostly, I am here as a presence, as a connecting point for people on the level of soul, and most of all, to help YOU find your own spiritual meaning in your life, especially at the most challenging moments.
That is my work, and it is for the entire community, not just Jews or someone interested in Judaism. I am a Community Rabbi called to serve the larger community of all of us. Together, we are stronger. Together, we grow and learn to practice radical kindness and develop deep compassion. This is my work as a Community Rabbi.
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