I’m delighted to be joining the ranks of Temple Sinai’s faculty as the teacher for Grades 8 and 9 on Sunday night. I’ve just relocated to Brookline where I’m looking forward to beginning my rabbinical studies at Hebrew College. After pursuing theatre for several years, I’m eager to integrate my love of Jewish texts with art and performance in an engaging conversation that brings Judaism off the page and into our lives. While exploring the many different ways one can “be Jewish in Coolidge Corner,” we will sample the different denominations, asking the question, “What motivates this way of thinking?” Rather than defining denominations by “we do this and they do that,” we’ll instead focus on what are the values at play in motivating specific communities to emphasize certain practices over others. The goal of this approach will be to understand and appreciate rather than to distance and to judge. In addition, we will be visiting synagogues in the area, and invite guest speakers to come talk with us, as well. In order to understand the different values and tensions behind these decisions, we’ll delve deeply into a few important, modern-day concerns that each of the denominations has faced in recent years. Through the lens of questions concerning egalitarianism, Shabbat practice, and Jewish identity, we’ll bring these questions to life with a series of dinner-time debates during which students will “take on” the stance of a given denomination and be challenged to articulate its value in constructing meaningful, lasting Jewish communities. If there are specific issues you would like to bring to the debate, please let me know. These conversations are all about brainstorming what are the issues that are integral to us today, what does Judaism have to say about them, and what do we prioritize as we integrate communal Jewish values with our personal beliefs and practice. At the end of the day, regardless of how we Jewish-ly identify, we are each looking for a Jewish tradition that connects us to community and brings deeper meaning into our lives. And, at least that is something all of us can agree on.

Avi Strausberg

The most essential ideas of Judaism will be included in our 10th and 11th grade curriculum, which is a year we call “Confirmation.” We will explore critical ideas of Judaism and how they affect our lives and choices as Jews. In addition, we plan to travel to New York City for a weekend of Jewish learning together. Our year of study culminates in a Confirmation service, which students help lead and create by drawing on personal expressions and styles. There is also room for change within this framework; if students express a desire to explore a specific topic, we can easily change direction and address other topics. Most of all, as rabbi of the congregation, I enjoy my time with our students, to learn about their Jewish explorations and share my own journeys with them, and to be with them as their rabbi.

Rabbi Andy Vogel