Hebrew
First-timers who attend services at temples and synagogue are sometimes mystified by the tenor of the experience. The service roars by, with no way for a newcomer to appreciate it, and novices are left feeling that they are in the wrong spiritual place.
We think that it's time to deal straightforwardly with this issue by saying, first, that we are a diverse congregation. Some of us read Hebrew; some of us don't. And even those of us who do read Hebrew are sometimes at a loss to understand what we are reading. The sounds of Hebrew feel right and reassuring. They tell us that we are connected to those who came before us, and place us in the unfolding of Jewish time. We do not want the Synagogue to sound less fully authentic. At the same time, all of us would like to be more fully at home.
To that end, we want you to know that we're working energetically on this issue. We have a large group of computer programs designed to speed basic Hebrew education. New transliterations are produced by Rabbi Fitzerman all the time. We frequently chant parts of the service in English, and believe in the possibility of "spiritual" English prayer. We're working on prayerbooks that newcomers can use without anxiety. We have a large group of tapes that enable self-study of the service. We have a musical style that is sweet, plain, and unencumbered. And we help sponsor a large group of opportunities in Hebrew laguage education (many of which we originated ourselves) that would be helpful to anyone who wanted to become fluent. We believe that our service should be conducted by our members, and that the service itself should be informal and homemade.
Don't read Hebrew? Give B'nai Emunah a try. We're on your side, and think that we're making progress all the time.
