OPENING THE DOOR: Why Intro to Judaism is So Important.  
by Rabbi Adam Greenwald and Rabbi Dov Gartenberg
Updated: 6-12-2022
 
Resisting the storm of ethnic panic that has characterized most of the decade since the publication of the Pew Study of American Jews, the New Mexico Miller Introduction to Judaism Program, an affiliate of this national program created by the American Jewish University (AJU)  is an oasis of calm. Sit in on a class and you’ll see a Persian-Muslim physician struggling to learn her Hebrew phonics, next to a tattooed Harley Davidson rider who is saving up for separate meat and dairy dishes and a single mom studying Talmud with her teenage son. Crisis? What crisis?
 
Conversion programs are the single most powerful and cost-effective vehicles to ensure Jewish continuity and growth in an era of steep decline. The Miller Program, which provides adults with serious Jewish education and personalized support in preparation for conversion succeed in launching whole new Jewish journeys for a fraction of the cost of subsidizing a Birthright participant’s week abroad. The return on that investment is a Jew by Choice who represents the genesis of an entirely new Jewish family and a legacy that will shape the Jewish People long into the future.
 
As over two decades of studies have conclusively demonstrated, the American Jewish community faces an existential demographic challenge. Among non-Orthodox Jews who have married over the past ten years, nearly three-quarters (72%) have married someone who is not Jewish. Of those, less than half (43%) will produce children who consider themselves Jewish and among their children, only 17% will marry Jews themselves. The effect of such trends over a few generations is clear—the future of Judaism in America appears to be in grave peril.
 
The time has come to put aside old prejudices and remove unnecessary boundaries, to actively welcome those who might wish to join our community. That means a shift in the attitudes of our communal leaders and institutions, who have long met converts with ambivalence, suspicion, or even hostility. It’s time to put aside our fear that welcoming might turn into proselytizing and make Judaism available to all those who are seeking a path of meaning and community.
 
That support must not stop with the mikveh. In our focus on the immediate goal of conversion, we often fall short in providing the ongoing support necessary to help new members of the tribe navigate the long and sometimes arduous process of integration into the Jewish community. Instead, they are often offered little more than a handshake and a blessing as they are handed their documents and told to go out and find a place in the Jewish community. Many have no clue what to do next.
 
It is a sad fact that for some Jews by Choice, the most Jewishly they will ever live is in the lead-up to the mikveh, not during the balance of their lives as actual Jews and it is not uncommon for such people to ultimately lose the spark that brought them to Judaism to begin with. We need a real communal commitment to develop resources and programs to help brand-new Jews translate their passion into action. We need mentoring programs, a universal policy of complementary synagogue memberships and religious school subsidies for converts and their families, ongoing learning opportunities, and affordable Israel experiences for those whose connection with Eretz Yisrael is not inborn. We cannot simply leave converts “dripping at the mikveh,” our community must come together to support our newest members for the long process of building Jewish identity.
 
A famous Midrash teaches that God esteems converts above all others, because they have chosen their identity not out of compulsion but out of love. Today, there are thousands of individuals who are standing just outside our doors—in our synagogues, in our families, and in our broader communities, who just need the door opened and to be invited to step inside to taste the wisdom and beauty of Judaism. It’s time we summoned our collective will, passion, and resources to make that welcome real.
 
If you are interested or know someone who might be interested in the New Mexico Miller Introduction to Judaism Program, note the following information.
Open House for the Miller Intro to Judaism: : Sunday, September 21, 10am Green Jeans Farmery Pation
First Session of the Miller program:  Starting Date: Wednesday Eve, September 14, 2022
More details about the 2022-2023 Miller  program including dates, location, tuition, topics, and more will be posted by Friday, June 17th at this website.    https://www.shabbatwithfriends.org
Or contact Rabbi Dov Gartenberg at dov@shabbatwithfriends.org or coordinator, Suzanne Savage at Suzy1946@q.com for up to date information
 
Rabbi Adam Greenwald was the Vice President for Jewish Engagement at American Jewish University, where he directed the Maas Center for Jewish Journeys and the Miller Intro to Judaism Program for 10 years.
Rabbi Dov Gartenberg is the director of Shabbat with Friends NM. He established the New Mexico affiliate and has been the lead teacher for the Miller Intro to Judaism for two years. 
 

A New Cycle: Weekly Reflections: A Blog from Rabbi Dov Gartenberg
Thursday, May 12, 2022
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This is the second of my weekly reflections, resuming a practice of writing that I have kept up for many years. As a congregational rabbi, I made a priority of communicating with congregation members and the wider community on a regular basis.  I did this in the form of a blog. I hope you find my submissions stimulating and worth sharing. I welcome your suggestions for topics. You may submit comments when our website goes live which should be in a couple of weeks.
The Shabbat Songs of the Cosmos

Take a moment from your busy life to listen to this: Data Sonification: Black Hole at the Center of the Perseus Galaxy Cluster (X-ray) - YouTube.  And this: Pocket - Echoes of a black hole (getpocket.com). These videos are part of a scientific project to sonify the cosmos. Check out the article in the New York Times here: Hear the Weird Sounds of a Black Hole Singing - The New York Times (nytimes.com). For an explanation of sonification, go to this link: A Tour of Jingle, Pluck, and Hum: Sounds from Space - YouTube. 

I found these audio recordings mysterious and awesome. To me they are a kind of Shabbat music.  Why Shabbat music? Shabbat has three overarching themes which correspond to the three distinct parts of the Sabbath day. These themes are reflected not only in the liturgy of Shabbat services but are also reflected in the Shabbat rituals and songs. Going backwards, Saturday afternoon and nightfall’s overarching theme is redemption (Ge’ulah). Saturday morning and early afternoon’s focus is revelation, the giving of the Torah at Sinai (Matan Torah). Since every Jewish day starts on the evening before, Friday night’s overarching theme is creation of the universe, (Ma’aseh Bereishit)

I have always made a point of meditating on creation in some way on Erev Shabbat (Friday evening). As a congregational rabbi I started a program at Kabbalat Shabbat services called Mah Gadlu (alluding to the Psalm of Shabbat . “Mah Gadlu Ma’asecha Adonai,  M’od amku Mahshavotecha! How wonderful are Your works, Adonai, how subtle your designs!” (Psalm 92, P. 27 in the Siddur Lev Shalem). I invited scientists to share an observation about nature in keeping with the theme of creation.  I try to read about recent scientific discoveries specifically on Erev Shabbat. 

That is why these sonifications of black holes are for me Shabbat music. For me they serve as a form of radical amazement (Heschel’s term) about the world we live in and the miracle of our lives and consciousness.

One of the most precious activities to make special on Shabbat is to sonify the Shabbat into song.  The most common way Jewish communities have ”sonified”  Shabbat is through the congregational singing at Shabbat services. What I discovered as a young Reform Jew was that the “sonification of Shabbat” manifested in many other ways, such as singing around the table at home on the Sabbath day. In college I was exposed to the treasury of Shabbat music which the psalms speak of as “l’zamer l’shimcha elyon-to sing to Your  transcendent name (Again, Ps. 92). Our singing on Shabbat is an act of acknowledging a world much bigger than ourselves. 

One of my visions of Shabbat with Friends is to actively and intentionally revitalize the practice of the “sonification of Shabbat”, to rediscover the transcendence of Shabbat through song and singing together. With these new sonifications from the cosmos, we may join a much bigger chorus than we ever imagined. 

Rabbi Dov Gartenberg
SWFNM Blog 
 
 
 
 
 

The Musical Shabbat Circle is the signature program of Shabbat with Friends NM. These unique participatory gatherings always take place on the Sabbath (Friday evenings, Shabbat afternoons and the end of Shabbat) and the Jewish Festivals. The inspiration for the Musical Shabbat Circle is the Jewish traditions of hospitality, group singing, and the enjoyment of delicious foods.
Shabbat with Friends seeks to revive this beautiful Jewish tradition by integrating both old and new practices.

• The Musical Shabbat Circles are held in homes, giving the host an opportunity to practice the mitzvah of hospitality (Hachnasat Orchim) and the guests to enjoy friends and meet new acquaintances. The Musical Shabbat Circle is for all ages and all backgrounds. 
• Second, our talented Shabbat with Friends Ensemble shares songs from the Jewish treasury of table and folk melodies. We make these songs accessible and create an ambience in which everyone is invited to sing. 
• Third, at all our gatherings we have good food whether by potluck or provided by the host. 

Whether you are secular or more religious, the Musical Shabbat Circle taps into the unique interpersonal experiences of joy, friendship, and spirituality. For some it is fun way to be with people and to share good food. For others it is a deep spiritual moment of rest and connecting to God. For some, the Musical Shabbat Circle is an opportunity to connect to the great cultural and religious treasury of Jewish song.  For others it brings them back to the boisterous singing of Jewish summer camp.

 Would you be interested in attending one of these special gatherings? Check out our Calendar Page to sign up for upcoming Musical Shabbat Tables.  
Would you be interested in hosting a Musical Shabbat Circle? Contact Rabbi Dov Gartenberg at dov@shabbatwithfriends,org.