It's been a long time since I've missed that annual learn-a-thon/dairy extravaganza that is the Tikkun Leill before Shavous.
Shul politics had a sleeper cell of people poised to take over when our long serving rabbi moved on. We went from a once in a generation spiritual leader to an individual unqualified to hold the title Rabbi in a summer. A sleeper cell of people for whom the JCC was the height of Jewish expression and holding contempt for anything like traditional Jewish life swept in and installed their yes man. A man who will tell you to not involve yourself with our local shul is Judaism matters to you.
I can get Church w/out Jesus anywhere in America, why would I be a member of a shul that sees Judaism as that? I can remember saying. The confused and upset faced wright with ignorance responding to the statement spoke volumes in that silence.
There's a wide gulf between Liberal Judaism and Orthodoxy but for them it was a black and white choice. They liked a life unburdened with covenant and thoughtful practice. Kippot, Kashrus, Shabbat itself if not ignored completely and individually defined for themselves was the plan. While faith was of importance, practice is the unifying theme in Jewish life. A JCC was a social club, a synagogue was where we upheld our end of the bargain.
"There's too much Hebrew, it's offensive..." I can remember hearing as a rabbinic intern. We are Jews, it's out language I'd year in reply from the pulpit. Not even fellow Jews in the congregation who found that once a week they could manage to follow along in a few words of our ancient language. There was no conversational Hebrew, most of the Yiddish speakers were long dead. It was the race to the bottom, to parody the Protestants across the street, to end like Alexandria driving that late crop of boomers who were more concerned with comfortably fitting in.
It didn't matter in Germany, it doesn't matter now. Relish your Jewishness. Wash in it every morning, evening and midday. I took the impostor rabbi's advice. He didn't think it was Judaism anymore than I did and when he told me, "if you think any of this matters go hang with the orthodox," I was appalled. I think I see the wisdom in that thoughtless statement to a person he didn't know. I don't think the Orthodox have any more legitimacy than the Liberal but I do think I know what a Jewish community looks like and what one doesn't. So in the time honored traditions of the past my spiritual home have become my shoes. They can as in centuries past carry me away from the goyim and the soon to become goyim on the path towards Jerusalem again.