Recently, my wife and I had the pleasure of attending a Paul McCartney concert at Wrigley Field in Chicago. In this outstanding three-hour performance, McCartney performed virtually every song he ever wrote for the Beatles, Wings, and later.
Special light affects accompanied each number. The most magnificent display was during the performances of “Live and Let Die” and “Helter Skelter.” The evening concluded with renditions of “Yesterday” and “Hey Jude.” It was one of the best performances that we have ever attended.
Apparently, due to the current economic recession, some synagogues in their attempt to attract new members have resorted to similar techniques.
Evidently unaware that I was a congregational rabbi, someone sent me the following email. Apparently, three synagogues with declining membership had joined together to create a new communal religious institution. Two of the three rabbis were retrenched by the new board of directors.
For the High Holiday services, they hired a rabbi from London and a cantor from New York City. The rabbi was billed as “London’s funkiest young rabbi” who created a religious institution known as the “cool shul” and the “hippest” synagogue in the U.K. The chazen was billed as “The Rockin’ Renaissance Rabbi.”
Has our religion become so bereft of significance that we must attract new members by being “hip, rad and funky?”
What could be more relevant than a religion rooted in the past that has evolved to meet the needs of every generation?
See the rest of this article in the September issue.
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