Rabbi Dena Shaffer
Remember when you were a young professional? Perhaps you were new to town? Perhaps you were living on your own for the first time? How did you find a connection to the Jewish Community?
This is a challenge that young Jews have faced for decades and now our synagogue is confronting it head on. Through our new program, Torah on Tap, CBI is helping to foster relationships among Hartford’s Jewish 20s and 30s and establishing a connection between that demographic and organized Jewish life.
At first I was nervous, unsure of how well-attended this program would be. Sure, the free drinks were a great selling point, but were there really young Jews in the area who would want to gather and discuss their faith with their peers in such a public setting? I have been blown away by the results! Indeed there are many who are looking for precisely this opportunity!
And so, each Wednesday, I arrive at Max Burger in the Center, where I’m greeted by a handful of familiar faces. Speaking to the hostess I announce, “We’re back!” and she shows us to our usual table, the long one right near the entrance. Menus are passed out, beers and milkshakes are ordered, and slowly but surely our table fills up with the future of Hartford’s Jewish community. Teachers and lawyers, school guidance counselors and graduate students, engineers and educators, young interfaith couples and conversion students. We are certainly a diverse group.
That diversity becomes even more apparent as we begin to discuss the Jewish topic I’ve prepared. Sometimes it’s the weekly Torah portion, other times it’s Israel, spirituality, leadership. Once we even examined what was Jewish about Halloween! There is such a plethora of voices around our table; Jewish and non-Jewish, Orthodox and staunchly Reform, those with a day school background and others who are encountering Judaism for the first time.
What binds us together is our need to connect, both to each other and to our Judaism. You see, much of synagogue life is not targeted at this demographic. Until one is married with children or is at a more “seasoned” point in his or her life, the traditional synagogue model does not offer much beyond the occasional worship service. Through Torah on Tap, CBI is challenging that model. We’re saying that we value your participation regardless of where you happen to be in life, regardless of what baggage or circumstances you bring (literally) to the table. And as for our young adults…well, they’re drinking it up! •
About Jane Zande