A Message from Rabbi Maurice (July, 2005)

First, thank you for renewing my contract! I am deeply grateful to TBI for giving me this continued opportunity to learn and to teach. Thank you for being patient with my mistakes, and for offering me encouragement and appreciation so generously. I'd like to use this space to share some of what I have learned about TBI during my first two years here.

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Sacred Adjustments

Early on, I was awestruck by the things TBI does best. The warmth and connection among people here was palpable to Melissa and me, as was the absence within TBI of some of the ills that plague parts of American synagogue life, such as materialism, disdain towards interfaith families, and spiritual sterility. I found a clean, earnest feeling at the heart of our synagogue that I continue to marvel at.

I’ve also seen our congregational challenges, and I think I can see what may be at the heart of many of them. Back in rabbinical school, I learned about the "growing pains" that most synagogues face when they get larger overtime. When a small synagogue grows bigger, typically it continues to use the informal communication and governing structures that worked well during its early years. But once a shul is mid-sized, those systems inadvertently create bottlenecks and barriers to involvement for some in the community. Some start feeling that needs aren't being met, or that it's difficult to know where to take an idea or concern. Meanwhile, the staff is working harder and harder just trying to keep the existing program going, and the reward of their often exhaustive efforts seems to be that still a large number of people are not feeling fulfilled.

The experts say that the remedy involves building some new structures and systems that empower more people to take leadership and that unplug communication bottlenecks. Making this transition from "small shul in a one-shul-town" to "medium-size shul in a growing town with several Jewish life choices" is a big project, and the first step is understanding that this is what’s going on.

A lot of what I hear when people talk about what they'd like to see improved at TBI fits this picture. TBI is a place where people are warm and open, where people seek to gather for friendship, community, spiritual meaning, and learning in a liberal Jewish framework that invites and delights in a wide range of Jewish interests, ideas, and tastes. At the parlor meetings I attended this spring, a common theme I heard was a desire for more of all of those things – more connection and relationship and more chances to explore life’s meaning through Jewish lenses with others. So many people who attended commented that one of the things they liked best about the meetings was simply having the chance to be together.

The fact that people want more means there's something very healthy at TBI's heart, and yet, possibly because of these "growing pains," TBI sometimes gets stuck figuring out how we collectively work together to make the "more" happen. The good news is that the Board understands this and has begun the work of updating the way we do things to fit our size and the new realities of Jewish Eugene. The newly created Community Connections Committee is also helping build some of the new structures that TBI needs. There are many members, and staff as well, who are taking these ideas to heart as they develop plans for the months ahead. The recent parlor meetings are a prime example of the efforts to improve our communal structures.

As we move forward, my prayer is that we be blessed with the insight and creativity to continue making smart adjustments to our communal structures, and that we understand that doing this is holy work. Please don't hesitate to share thoughts and ideas with either of the rabbis or our Board members!

Shalom,
Rabbi Maurice