Ritch Yanowitz

Do any of you out there suffer from SDS? No, not BPH, SDS. Not EDS, or my favorite, restless leg syndrome, or any of those other diseases that  seem  to be made up and put on TV so we can either lay awake at night hoping we don’t have them or spend thousands of dollars in doctor and prescription bills curing them.

No, I am talking about SDS:  Not Students for a Democratic Society for all you old hippies out there, I’m talking about SDS.

Spiritual Deficiency Syndrome.

I must admit that at times I suffer from SDS. If you also periodically suffer from this non fatal syndrome than you have come to the right place for the cure. I promise you there will be no dangerous side effects like they warn you about on TV. Only renewed spirituality, peace of mind, and fun.

Beth Haverim Shir Shalom has become a model reform congregation. We are one of the few thriving congregations in this area. Let me tell you about some of the reasons why.

Our pulpit is the envy of congregations everywhere.

Let’s start with the Music, led by Cantor Perper.

The music we share here is beautiful and infectious. I grew up in the era of rock and roll. I was too young for Elvis and only 10 when the Beatles came to America but other than that I have pretty much seen them all. From the Four Seasons to the Four Tops, Bob Dylan to Bob Marley, The Who, The Stones, Stevie Wonder, you name it and I’ve seen them in Concert. For all of you former RTOS members, I even saw Frank Sinatra at that old theater in the round on Route 59. Listening to Cantor Perper sit at our new piano and sing ranks up there with all of them. There in no more beautiful music anywhere than what we are experiencing tonight.

Last year Rabbi Dunsker spoke about seeing a gospel choir at a URJ convention and wondering why their services seemed more upbeat and inspirational than Jewish ones. Listen to a gospel choir praise the lord or go to a concert by anyone who learned to sing in a church such as Al Green, or Alicia Keys and you’ll know why those services are such an event. When Ryan Shaw sings House of Love it doesn’t matter if the song is about a church, a synagogue or a mosque. Listen to him sing and you know he believes. Don’t think its only traditional gospel singers who have the feeling.  If you have ever heard the men singing at an Orthodox wedding or Bris you know what I mean when I say they have the feeling. Listen to Vince Gill or to Van Morrison sing. And don’t forget that the little Jewish kid from Queens , Paul Simon wrote Bridge over Troubled Water.

At that time I thought to myself it was the music that made the difference. Well now I know we can compete with any of them. Come to one of our services and listen to the Cantor and our choirs joined by the congregation singing and clapping and you’ll know what inspiration is. Don’t be surprised when one of our kids from the youth choir is on American Idol and when asked where they learned how to sing they tell Ryan it was Beth Haverim Shir Shalom.

We are also very lucky to have Rabbi Mosbacher as our spiritual leader. He is open minded and willing to accept many different beliefs and points of view. He is also an incredibly caring, compassionate person. It is true that actions speak louder than words. Watch how the Rabbi is involved in all aspects of not only our synagogue but the entire community. From faith based social action, to caring, to teaching, Rabbi Mosbacher has an unlimited amount of energy and passion. Join us for a baby naming or a family service and you will know how lucky we are to have him as our leader.

Try and get to know David Segal, our student Rabbi while he is here. We are very fortunate to be able to have him as part of our Temple this year.

Our religious school, led by our principal Rebecca McVeigh, is a wonderful place for your children to receive a complete Jewish education. Our Family School has quickly become a model program.

We are financially and operationally sound. Because of your generosity along with an incredibly talented hard working staff and volunteers we end up in the black every year.

Our house of friends now has over 400 families combining two Temples . We have grown to where we need two services for the High Holidays but somehow we still manage to maintain the warmth and values that both of our congregations were founded on.  Except for the High Holidays every activity we have is centered around a small group or a one on one relationship. You can easily find a group of people here that have the same interests as you. Help out our caring committee and touch someone’s life when they need it the most. Go to the Blythdale or Wanaque Children’s Hospitals with the Michelle Mitzvah group and make a child’s life better.

Our membership committee works very hard starting one on one relationships between new and existing members. Become a mentor and help someone get acquainted with the Temple .  Join our Brotherhood or Sisterhood and start a newcomers club. It can not always be up to us to attempt to convince you to join something. To get involved it sometimes will take a little push from your end. Our board has always focused on two major themes: running a financially and operationally sound Temple and trying to get more people more involved. On the first initiative we have been pretty successful throughout the years. On the second, we all share the same frustration. We do our best to connect with you but this is a two way street. We also need each of you to reach out and connect with us.  Sometimes you should take the initiative and see what this place is all about.

The only thing missing to cure your SDS is your involvement. It worked for me and it can work for you. When I graduated from high school if there was a vote for the person most likely to be involved with their Temple at age 50 trust me, I wouldn’t have cracked the top 500.

As a young adult there were years I did not attend services at all, including the High Holidays. I can remember a year or two after my father passed away when I even went to work on these holidays.  I would have told you then I did not believe in God and did not see the importance of either being a Jew or practicing Judaism. I did not know it then, but I had a bad case of SDS.

Lori and I decided after our younger son Jeremy’s Bar Mitzvah that we would give the Temple one more year. We would either take advantage of what the Temple had to offer or leave. We would not pay our dues to come to Temple twice a year. That was 10 years ago and since than our involvement with and commitment to Judaism and Beth Haverim Shir Shalom has grown dramatically.

For me this has been an incredible journey.  Beth Haverim Shir Shalom has helped me with many different facets of my life. It has enriched my life spiritually, educationally, and socially. My view of God and Judaism may still not be the traditional one but luckily I have learned that this is not a requirement of either Reform Judaism or Beth Haverim Shir Shalom. I recently read an interview in Reform Judaism magazine with a writer by the name of Evan Solomon. First of all my friends and family think that it is a pretty amazing thing that I am even reading this magazine!  When asked what his favorite Jewish idea is he said that it is having the youngest person at the sedar ask the four questions. In Judaism even the most vulnerable person may question authority- a celebration of free thinking. How can you go wrong with a religion that encourages you to find your own path and question authority?  Although I may still not be sure of my belief in or definition of God my belief in the importance of religion in my life is strong. Lori and I have gone from total non-involvement to where we are now active both separately and together in many different aspects of Temple life. No more SDS for us!

But most importantly what does this mean to all of you? How do you cure your SDS?

This year we are making it even easier for you to get involved at Beth Haverim Shir Shalom. We have established an initiative through our new Life Long Learning Forum called Mitvot.

Mitvot will be a very broad theme used to include certain aspects of our Temple life from prayer to learning to social action. We will incorporate this theme throughout our different committees as we learn, pray and socialize together.

The book “Jewish Living, a guide to contemporary reform practice” by Mark Washofsky will be the centerpiece for our Mitzvot theme.

Throughout the year our congregation will be asked to read different chapters of the book. The book will be the vehicle for various projects and events including peer group get togethers, monthly Friday night service discussions, as well as Adult Ed and family learning programs. You will hear much more on our new initiative throughout the year.

The book is now available in the library or can still be purchased through the office.

To begin to cure your SDS all you have to do is try something here. Consider us the Club Med of Synagogues.  It’s all inclusive.  You have already paid so now just pick an activity and go for it. We have heard feed back from many of you over the years telling us that either you do not consider yourself religious or you are a “secular” Jew. You may be here for your kids or so you can come to services twice a year and keep your families traditions alive and not feel guilty. You will fulfill your financial obligations here, attend a service or two, and come to an event with your kids when you have to.  I personally do not believe there is such a thing as a secular Jew.  If you come to Temple once a year, have a Seder, and observe the yertzit of a loved one, in my opinion you are a practicing Jew. But even if you claim to be a secular Jew or not to be religious there is still a lot you can do here.

Sometimes the hardest part is taking the first step, but take it, you will not be sorry.  It is up to each of you to decide how you will begin to get involved at Beth Haverim Shir Shalom. You can  visit a children’s hospital, sing in the choir, get involved in our inter faith outreach group, take part in our life long learning classes, join us on one of our trips, or even play golf or poker.

It can even be as simple as a Shabbat service. It does not have to be every week. It does not even have to be every month. Just commit to come to one or two services and see what happens. Relaxing a little with familiar faces, singing a few songs with the Cantor, and listening to the Rabbi is not a bad way to end the work week and start the weekend.

So all we ask of you is to just try one event or program and see where that takes you. Give us a chance and I am sure that your SDS, like mine will be cured.