David Steinhardt and Hector Epelbaum say it’s vital to serve people of various ages and bonds to Judaism. Photo provided
By Janis Fontaine
B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton is the largest Conservative synagogue in Southeast Florida with more than 1,300 member families. Palm Beach County is home to more than 250,000 Jews (about 20% of the county’s population), and Boca Raton has the largest Jewish population of any South Florida city. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency news outlet says it’s the most Jewish place outside of Israel.
But getting those people through the doors to worship regularly (not just on Holy Days) is an uphill battle. According to statistics from the Pew Research Center in 2021, only about 12% of Jews attend services weekly. Christians do a little better, with about one-quarter claiming weekly attendance.
Not all Jews want to worship in the same way, or even follow the same rules. Orthodox Jews are considered the most traditional, and Reform synagogues are the most liberal. B’nai Torah is a Conservative congregation — a meet-in-the-middle mind-set that allows flexibility and adaptability in the changing world.
B’nai Torah calls itself a “close-knit, multi-generational, modern and egalitarian synagogue,” which means everyone is equal under its framework. Its two leaders — Rabbi David Steinhardt has been the senior rabbi at B’nai Torah for more than 20 years and Rabbi Hector Epelbaum started June 1 — spearheaded the synagogue’s new Shabbat services program, which offers a range of options for celebrating the Sabbath. From its “Friday Night Music and Torah Conversation” to its “Young Family Saturday Service,” the goal is to attract more members by appealing to their diversity.
“I look at it from a quality perspective,” Epelbaum said. He believes if you provide quality, the numbers will follow. “I want to be sure we’re offering what people are looking for.”
Steinhardt agrees: “It can’t be fluff. It has to have depth and authenticity.”
The Saturday morning services are designed to be “positive, uplifting and joyful,” Steinhardt said, and the wealth of programs should embrace and promote the diversity of Jewish thought, learning and practice.
“We are constantly evolving to re-create and offer styles of worship that appeal to all of our members regardless of their age, family origins or individual connection to Judaism,” Steinhardt said.
One size does not fit all when it comes to worship, and this open-minded point of view is an important tenet of Judaism. South Florida has a wide demographic — literally from birth to death with the huge influx of young families. Different age groups have different spiritual needs.
It’s hard to tell if the generational divides are widening or deepening, and Steinhardt echoes other clergy when he says that millennials are more interested in acts than lectures.
Young adults are drawn to the humane work the synagogue does but not so much to worship services.
At B’nai Torah, the Tzedakah, Learning and Chesed program matches volunteers with opportunities to help others in all areas of critical need — hunger, homelessness, literacy, elder care, vulnerable populations and special needs. The program supports the Jewish core value of tzedakah, which in a formal sense means “to do what is right and just” but in a practical sense means performing acts of charity. The best mitzvot are those that involve learning and action, and TLC connects people with ongoing and time-sensitive mitzvah opportunities.
Public opinion sometimes brays, wrongly, that Jews help only other Jews, or that a local synagogue helps only its members, but a look at the TLC programs shows otherwise.
Charity given freely is the only true act of charity, and it doesn’t matter who needs help or who gives it.
Steinhardt says all the talk about divisiveness and drawing lines in the sand is the opposite of what Jewish tenets teach.
“Pluralism is at the core of who we are,” he said.
Pluralism is the idea that having differences shouldn’t divide us. A simple definition of pluralism is “a condition in which two or more groups coexist.” But it’s more than that. It’s when two groups with differences can thrive.
Pluralism first must give full access to women. Under the Orthodox teachings, only men can participate in a minyan, a quorum of 10 individuals required for certain prayers. In the strictest interpretation, a minyan can happen only when 10 males over the age of 13 are in attendance. A hundred pure, devout, learned women still cannot be a minyan under Orthodox rules.
Today, in most Conservative and Reform shuls, women are recognized as part of a minyan. Women also can be cantors and rabbis and Judaic leaders in many synagogues.
Intermarriage is more accepted, and in some denominations Judaism is no longer restricted to matrilineal descent. Today, if either of the parents is Jewish, their children are too.
Achieving a balance between tradition and a rapidly changing world takes a dynamic organization, Epelbaum said. “By dynamic, I mean able to adapt to social change.”
Change is critical if Judaism wants to grow. There are 5.8 million adult Jews in the world, according to the Pew Research Center. But if Judaism wants to appeal to more than 12% of them, it can’t afford to treat half of them differently, Steinhardt said.
Mark your calendar
Stop by and meet Rabbi Hector Epelbaum at noon July 11 at B’nai Torah Congregation, 6261 SW 18th St., Boca Raton. Register at https://btcboca.shulcloud.com/form/rhe or call 561-392-8566.
Schedule of services
The congregation offers these opportunities in addition to its main Saturday morning service:
Friday Night Music and Torah Conversation: The music is led by Cantor Magda Fishman, music director Tomer Adaddi and Eliot Weiss, joined by Rabbis David Steinhardt, Hector Epelbaum and Evan Susman. A short but meaningful Torah teaching is often followed by Shabbat dinner. Frequently themed for young children and families.
Saturday Renewal Shabbat Service: A collection of contemporary Jewish liturgical musical melodies, often led by Rabbi Amy Pessah and Rabbinical student-in-training Laura Lenes. Inspired by Reb Zalman Schachter.
Young Family Saturday Service: Spirited and joyful singing and learning, with Rabbi Susman and Cathy Berkowitz.
Tot Shabbat Service: Led by Karen Deerwester and Amy Weisberg, this is for young kids and their families. Offered frequently throughout the year.
Torah Learning: Every Shabbat, Morley Goldberg leads the congregation in a stimulating discussion of Parshat HaShavua. Off season, the group meets on Zoom. During season, the group meets in the B’nai Torah library.
Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Contact her at fontaine423@outlook.com.
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