Shalom’s Synaplex Shabbat offers ‘something for everyone’

By Andrea Waxman
of The Chronicle staff

Instead of catching a movie at a local “cineplex” next Friday night, members of Congregation Shalom may have new reasons to spend the evening at synagogue.

Rather than choosing from a theater full of films, they can choose from several worship and study options at “Synaplex, a unique Shabbat experience in a variety of flavors and forms,” at their Fox Point synagogue.

The service’s new structure aims to reach congregants through their varied interests, said Rabbi Ronald Shapiro. Some members are interested in a focus on healing and meditation, and some are moved by music and singing.

“Some serve God and the community through [social] action,” he said, noting that others would rather study and discuss.

That some congregants define themselves as cultural rather than religious Jews “is a reality that I accept,” Shapiro said. “There are some who come to worship who have many doubts. The Jewish faith has always emphasized mitzvot over emunah (faith)” and, he noted, people change and sometimes open up to new ways of understanding.
Synaplex is an initiative of STAR (Synagogues: Transformation and Renewal), an organization based in St. Louis Park, Minn., that is dedicated to vitalizing synagogue communities.

STAR developed Synaplex as “an innovative way to enrich Jewish life and strengthen community through prayer, study, social and cultural programs all taking place in the synagogue — throughout Shabbat,” according to its Web site.

Synaplex has more than 175 synagogues participating in its network, and they represent all denominations, affiliations and congregation sizes. Shalom is the first Wisconsin congregation to join.

And the synagogue has reason to believe that the new program will attract more people to its services. According to STAR’s Web site, “Synaplex congregations have seen sustained increases in Shabbat attendance, doubling their Shabbat morning and afternoon participation and increasing their Friday evening participation by 80 percent and more.”

‘A lot of energy’

Shalom has, for a long time, held alternative services for healing and other meditative services, incorporating humming, guided imagery and chanting, Shapiro said.

That innovation may be crucial in Reform congregations, which are more diverse than other congregations and also more diverse than in the past, Shapiro said. “The complexion of the community” has changed dramatically in recent years.

“We now have such a wide variety of backgrounds,” from traditional to completely non-Jewish but raising Jewish children, and “one kind of service does not satisfy everyone.”

And when he learned of Synaplex, Shapiro said, it “dovetailed nicely with my thoughts.”

Though Shapiro learned of Synaplex through his friendship with STAR executive director Rabbi Hayim Herring, Ph.D., he said other congregational leaders were equally interested in implementing the program at Shalom. The synagogue board voted to participate early last year, Shapiro said.

Following national trends, participation in Shabbat morning services at Shalom is down. But unlike those trends, Shapiro said, Friday evening attendance has remained strong.

But he believes that the program “will bring a lot of energy to the synagogue.”

One concern about the program was that the separate experiences might nullify a sense of community, but the dinner and oneg will offer many opportunities for socializing and connection, Shapiro said.

And the evening’s programs will include the work not only of the congregation’s three rabbis, cantor and administrator, but also a handful of congregants who have volunteered to lead sessions.

Generally, participating synagogues begin with a shared meal at the synagogue and then separate into several different groups for worship, study, or cultural, musical or another kind of experience.

Though the entire program will last for almost four hours, Shapiro expects that many will participate for the whole evening. Initially, the committee considered starting at the usually scheduled time, 7:45 p.m., and offering one session. Later it decided, however, to begin earlier to encourage young families to come for the dinner.

Shalom will hold its second Synaplex in April. Following that, the Temple Services Committee, which has taken the responsibility for planning and implementing the program will evaluate and, hopefully, continue it.