Rosh Hashanah Morning Sermon
September 7, 2002
KKBE at the Crossroads
As we begin a
new year, at a time when so much physical change is occurring here, it is clear
that Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim is a Reform Jewish community at a particular
crossroad. Decisions that we make
now, actions that we undertake will shape the future of this congregation for
some time to come.
Beginning
my 11th year at KKBE, I admit to being awed by the interest,
enthusiasm and creativity that is everywhere in our congregation: our bustling
religious school now meeting at the JCC, our burgeoning choir with its wonderful
musical gifts to us all, a widespread love of this beautiful sanctuary, a
fascination with the rich historic past of KKBE that has shed so much spiritual
light for some 253 years, an unprecedented capital campaign, new buildings,
exciting prospects, fresh beginnings.
And yet it is
sometimes easy for us to lose focus, to become so involved in our specific,
important chosen task or area of interest that (like the ancient patriarch of
our Torah narrative) we may be in danger of sacrificing our future.
Each of the many activities within our Temple family contributes to the
strength and vibrancy of our congregational life.
We need more, not less of such programs and projects and activities.
But for the good of our religious community as a whole, it is crucial
that we prioritize. Specifically,
while we must value the activities that focus on money, on our buildings, and on
preserving our heritage, we must remind ourselves of what matters even more: the
people and programs that make us a congregation.
The
capital campaign that began in 1998 brought huge changes.
For the first time vague hopes for better facilities and more
professional staff became attainable. Now,
four years later, with the capital campaign enormously successful but less than
some had hoped for, and with our current leaders struggling to balance
unavoidably enlarged expenditures against a shortage of available funds—it is
all too easy to become obsessed with the bottom line.
Should we as a congregation raise dues?
Institute a permanent building fund?
Hold another fund-raising campaign?
Borrow funds at the current low interest rates? Or pursue other
alternatives? Our leaders ponder
how to finance our desired future. But
financing the future surely has to imply a clear sense of what our desired
future is.
Thus far,
virtually all the funds raised within the congregation have of necessity been
going toward the physical renovation. There
is probably no more beautiful sanctuary in North America than this building.
When our religious school first began to reach its current size some
years ago, we explored the possibility of opening a branch school in the East
Cooper area or elsewhere; and we were emphatically told by virtually all
parents, especially in the East Cooper area, that they wanted their children to
get their Jewish education here where we have this lovely structure.
So, after the capital campaign had made action possible, we embarked upon
this ambitious, complicated and carefully designed building and renovation
project that began almost two years ago and is due to be completed by next
April.
While this
building process was already underway, it was unexpectedly discovered that the
exterior of both this sanctuary and our office building needed immediate repair,
to the extent of many hundreds of thousands of dollars, and that this work could
only be done now while everything else is being physically attended to.
All this has been and is still being accompanied by a contentious but
effective process of congregational decision making as to: Which activity is
located where? In how large an
area? With which physical
resources? And how does a
particular part relate to the overall whole?
Given opportunities to improve our facilities in ways once scarcely
imaginable, it is understandable that much time, energy and emotion are devoted
to making sure that the physical plant and its equipment will truly meet our
future needs. But, again, we need a
larger sense of what our desired future is.
Similarly,
the history of South Carolina Jews going back to 1695 is particularly
captivating, especially in relation to this congregation.
The founding of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, the congregational vicissitudes
through wars, natural disasters and other vagaries of history, the many
significant men and women whose lives were influenced or shaped here and who
gave so much to posterity—these are part of a fascinating heritage.
Little wonder that the last decade has seen the full emergence of the
Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina, or that this coming Thursday will
see the grand opening at the Gibbes Museum of a major exhibition, “A Portion
of the People,” which traces 300 years of Southern Jewish life. Very naturally our new KKBE building plans include space for
a larger, top-quality Jewish museum, here on the grounds of this historic
congregation. These plans are
exciting and compelling – as long as we in our congregational planning also
deal with our most central present and future needs.
Paradoxically, we will best take care of our past heritage if we secure
our future.
Our
financial, building and historical concerns are legitimate and important, but
let us always remember that we are Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim:
first of all we are a holy congregation that seeks to make this a godly
place. Linking ourselves to our
Jewish past, we proclaim our mission: “to serve the religious needs of
families and individuals through programs of lifelong education (Torah),
inclusive communal worship and ritual (Avodah), and the ongoing quest for
greater justice, peace, and acts of loving-kindness (Gemilut Chasadim).”
These are our stated priorities. What
matters most in the life of any Jewish congregation – and this one is no
exception – is the people and the programs for the people, programs including
education, ritual and helping others.
What
I am afraid of is that in real terms we become so obsessed with the money, the
buildings and the history that we forget as a Jewish congregation who we are and
what we are about, that virtually all the accumulated time, effort and money
will go to steel and cement, maintenance and preservation of the past, but that
our congregants will be no better served, that we will have beautiful but
minimally used facilities, that we will become a great museum of interest to
Jews in Atlanta, New York and London, but essentially irrelevant to Jews here
who struggle with everyday concerns.
A
good case has been made for our congregation to engage a second full-time rabbi.
A number of Reform Jewish congregations our size have several top-level
Jewish professionals. Ten years ago
our congregation numbered less than 300 households.
Since then we have added more than 150 households and doubled the number
of children in our religious school. But
we still have one full-time rabbi and employ only a part-time principal.
In the last 4 years we have had 4 part-time religious school principals.
And the annual budget of our KKBE religious school is 1% of what we are
spending on our new facilities.
As
your rabbi, I feel both excitement about what has been achieved and frustration
at what we are not doing or doing only inadequately. We have many enthusiastic volunteers, but without training
and the support of professionals, the burnout of good volunteers inevitably
brings a loss of momentum and direction.
If
you, the members of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, value some of the innovations and
new Jewish paths that our congregation has begun to take over the last 10 years,
you need to get actively involved in helping us institutionalize such
directions. Are we now at last
going to fund programs for our youth, for our young families, training for our
teachers, further development for our choir members, at least a full-time
professional Jewish educator, possibly other Jewish professionals?
In
this coming year the process of building attractive and comfortable facilities
here will be completed. My sense is
that after a long slumber, our congregation has awoken to a new day.
After our reawakening in our nice new facilities, are we once again going
to wrap ourselves in the memories of yesterday, turn around and go back to
sleep? Congregation Beth Elohim
stands at a crossroads: Which way
do we go?
In
our Torah portion, the patriarch Abraham almost sacrificed his beloved son and
his own future but was stopped before the sacrifice actually took place.
At a time when we in this congregation are exploring new paths, let us
make sure that we do not sacrifice our future and that of our children.
As we renew our commitments to a vibrant and modern Jewish congregation,
let us remember that nothing is more important than those whose religious needs
we serve, the men, women and children, especially the children.
The novelist Graham Greene wrote: “Once in a while a door opens and lets the future in.” This is such a moment.*
Amen.
* Quoted from The Shield of Achilles by Philip Bobbitt, Knopf, NY, 2002, p. 663.