Sunday, June 05, 2005
Lo Tisgodedu
Generally speaking, in Judaism there is an idea of Lo Tisgodedu - Not to divide up into subgroups. One of the derivations of this commandment is not to have more than one synagogue in a city. There are very specific terms delegating the conditions under which a new synagogue can be opened.
Where am I going with this? There is a new synagogue opening near me. Currently, Skokie basically consists of four synagogues on one block. The entire community basically rendevous at the same intersection every Shabbos morning, and then split off into their distinct congregations. The new synagogue, however, wants to set up shop half a mile North. While this definitely brings it closer to many homes, it definitely eliminates the common bond that all Skokie orthodox Jews currently have in the central religious district. While the main argument of the new synagogues founders has been the necessity of a sanctuary closer to where those families live, I have reason to believe this is an outright lie. Currently, every Friday night and Saturday afternoon the main synagogue in Skokie sponsors services two blocks away from my house to cater to the families living in my neighborhood. Last year, one of the families involved in the new congregation began sponsoring services at his home - one block away from the other service. Kind of hard to believe that this new synagogue is really about convenience and not about politics. All indications show that this new group is just a cliquish clan looking to control their own scene. Just the kind of reason that Lo Tisgodedu was commanded.
Where am I going with this? There is a new synagogue opening near me. Currently, Skokie basically consists of four synagogues on one block. The entire community basically rendevous at the same intersection every Shabbos morning, and then split off into their distinct congregations. The new synagogue, however, wants to set up shop half a mile North. While this definitely brings it closer to many homes, it definitely eliminates the common bond that all Skokie orthodox Jews currently have in the central religious district. While the main argument of the new synagogues founders has been the necessity of a sanctuary closer to where those families live, I have reason to believe this is an outright lie. Currently, every Friday night and Saturday afternoon the main synagogue in Skokie sponsors services two blocks away from my house to cater to the families living in my neighborhood. Last year, one of the families involved in the new congregation began sponsoring services at his home - one block away from the other service. Kind of hard to believe that this new synagogue is really about convenience and not about politics. All indications show that this new group is just a cliquish clan looking to control their own scene. Just the kind of reason that Lo Tisgodedu was commanded.
# posted by Josh : Sunday, June 05, 2005
