Synagogues are under attack, and for good reasons. But they remain the religious backbone of Jewish continuity, especially in America, the sole Western industrial or post-industrial nation where religion and spirituality continue to grow in importance. To fulfill their mandate for the American future, synagogues need to replace old and tired conversation with a new way of talking about their goals, their challenges and their vision for the future.
In this provocative clarion call for synagogue transformation, Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman summarizes a decade of research with Synagogue 2000--a pioneering experiment that reconceptualized synagogue life--providing fresh ways for synagogues to think as they undertake the exciting task of global change.
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A passionate call to reawaken core beliefs and life practices:
Written by Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, Rethinking Synagogues: A New Vocabulary for Congregational Life is a daring call for transformation in the modern synagogue, particularly the American synagogue. Chapters discuss means of reconceptualizing synagogue life in order to preserve Judaism as a religion that is taken seriously, rather than as a lingering ethnic nostalgia with trimmings of outward demonstrations and ritual observance. Hoffman acknowledges that the American synagogue is not currently in danger... more info
