SUJC 10yr Celebrations - Community Built Through Partnership. SUJC begins community consultation.

By Yaakov Finn (4th Feb 2012)

 

As I stand here today, it is amazing to think how far as a community SUJC has come in 10 years.  From a one-off Kol Nidrei service to weekly services not only on Shabbat morning, but Sunday mornings and Friday nights as well.

 

In 10 years, we have grown from a handful of members to over 160 families.  In 10 years we have successfully established the first new United Synagogue community in generations.  We now have regular education events, regular social events, a chesed committee and youth provision.  I could go on, and on!  The list of what has been achieved is endless.

But now is not the time to just pat ourselves on the back, to say how well we have done, how far we have come, because whilst we may have grown a community, now is the time to develop it.

 

Since the dawn of Jewish history, the centrality of the community in Jewish life, the importance of the community to Jewish life has been acknowledged.  Last week we read about the korban pesach – the paschal offering, which is but one of many mitzvot which require Jews to come together, to form communities in the service of Hashem.

 

In fact, so important is the community to Jewish life, that Hillel the Elder, the greatest of the Talmudic scholars rules that one should not separate oneself from the community. Why?  Well, not just because of strength in numbers, not just because of the power that comes with unity, but because of the eternal truth that when one is part of a community, one can achieve so much more than if one were to remain an individual.  The whole of the community is so much more than its sum parts.

 

Over the last 10 years, I believe we have in SUJC demonstrated time and time again a recognition of the importance of being partners in the community. I say partners not members, because I believe ‘member’ is a dirty word inherited from other synagogues.  It connotes distance. A distance between the congregation and the religious leadership and a distance between the congregation and lay leadership.

 

“Partners” is a more appropriate word as it represents the notion that we are all in it together.  We are all partners, working together to achieve a common aim. Partners all of whom have a vested interest in the outcome.

Over the last 10 years, we have, demonstrated time and time again the importance of being partners in the community.  We have shared many social and religious events, community trips to Skeet, singing and dancing on Yom Ha’atzmaut, Simcha Torah, communal sedarim, succah crawls, the annual quiz, the summer BBQ, so many events, so many happy memories.

Unfortunately, we have also suffered tragedy, no more so than the passing of Rabbi Kass, an inspirational and loving leader, at such a young age.

 

But it is at these times; times of tragedy both on a communal and individual level, when we have fully demonstrated what it is to be part of a community, part of a family.  We come together to share the good times and the bad times!  We celebrate a simcha as if it is our own, and we mourn a loss equally so.

 

Like a family, we might not all always get on.  Like a family we might have had our disagreements. But I believe that we all ultimately realise the value, the importance of being partners in this community, the ultimate love, care and concern that we all share for one another.

 

The writer Ignaz Meybaum once wrote, in a line that I think is very appropriate for Shenley, that a Jew can live without a building, but a Jew cannot live without a community

 

But unlike a building, which once built can be left for many years without much care and attention, a community once built needs constant care, constant development, constant renewal.  And so today, on the day that we start to celebrate the 10th anniversary not only of our synagogue, but of our community, our family, I think we need to ask what is the state of our community?

In truth, the answer depends on what we want! If as a community our goal, our aim is merely to survive, merely to be around in 10 years time, then, truth be told, we are doing ok.  There will always be a small dedicated group of individuals who will put aside their weekday lives, dedicate an inordinate amount of time to ensure the survival of this community.

But surviving is not the same as thriving and I believe that we can do so much more than survive.  I believe that we can be so much more exciting, so much more vibrant, so much more energised.  I believe that we can become a vibrant, exciting, innovative hub of Judaism in Hertfordshire.

 

But to achieve this, to thrive, we need to come together, to invest in our partnership, to renew our commitment to the cause.

And it is as partners in this great adventure, in this great endeavour, to ensure that we not only survive but thrive over the next 10 years, that I ask for two things from you today.

 

Firstly, we need your involvement. We need your time.  I spoke last week about how time is the most important commodity. It transcends currency and culture.  I shared with you the idea that what make a rich person wealthy is not the fact they have vast amount of cash reserves, it is the fact that they have the ability to use their time in the way they wish.  And if a rich person is one with a vast ‘bank’ of time, so to is a rich community

 

A rich community is not one with huge cash reserves, expensive properties, but one that has a large army of volunteers willing to help, willing to dedicate time to the community.

 

We need your time, we need your involvement. Imagine what could be achieved if we all, each one of us donated just 1 hour of our time to the community. New groups could be formed. New services offered.

 

On a more mundane level, we need people to do security, not just to keep unwanted people out but to greet, to meet, to welcome new visitors, potential new members, to set the tone for those who are entering our services.

 

We need people, especially men who can help us to set up the building.  In the absence of a caretaker, it seems to be the same 3 or 4 people every week setting up the hall. But as well as your time, we need your ideas. Having now established ourselves, we need to ask the ‘big questions’. What is it that we stand for? What is it we can improve on? Where do our priorities lie?

As I said, we may have grown a community but now is the time to develop it, and to do that we need to build an identity.

 

Therefore, on behalf of the board of management of the shul, I am pleased to announce today a new consultative program the likes of which have not been seen in our community before.  We want to hear from everybody, young and old, regulars and those who we don’t see as often.  And precisely because we are all partners, every opinion counts. Every opinion matters. Every opinion is important.

 

But for this to work, we need to hear from each and every one of you.  If we as a community are going to continue to flourish, to grow, to take that next step, we need your ideas. No idea is too outlandish. Every idea will be considered.

Using this information, we can then build a strategy, a blue print for the future, outlining how we as a community can grow to meet the needs and desires of our members.

 

I believe that great congregants make great communities. We have great congregants, so now lets make this a great community.

So join me, join the board and together, as partners, lets build on the foundations laid over the last 10 years.  Together as partners, lets make Shenley a shining example of what a Jewish community is and what a Jewish community can achieve when people work and invest in it together.  A community that is vibrant. A community that is exciting.  A community that is innovative. A community built through partnership.