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The first round's on the rabbi

The Jewish Journal takes a look at how two area congregations are trying to revitalize themselves. In Marblehead, Rabbi David Meyer figured if the Millennials won't come to him, he'll go to them. The temple now has a young-professionals group - Jews 'n' Brews - that gets together once a month at a local watering hole. Meyer always picks up the tab for the first round. And in Brookline, Congregation Mishkan Tefila is settling in at its new home on the Congregation Kehillath Israel's Harvard Street campus after selling off its own Newton campus that had simply become too large for it.

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Synagogues provide valuable services to many, but equating decline in synagogue life with decline in Jewish involvement would be a false correlation. What i've noticed is that there are tons of independent, small chavurah (groups/communities). I can think of quite a few in JP, Brookline, and Camberville. I don't think the synagogue needs saving. What needs saving is creating space for centers of spiritual connectivity, not slow-changing, expensive behemoths.

N.B.: I don't have kids (yet), so my views may change when religious education/b'nai mitzvah comes into play.

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Women-centric leads to decline

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Citations?

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When my shul's membership reached a low point a couple of decades ago, they made the very wise decision to include women in the minyan (minimum number of people needed to recite prayers - 10). Otherwise they wouldn't have had a minyan at all.

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Has the decline leveled off, so they now have a minyan consistently?

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The shul has many more members these days.

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after selling off its own Newton campus that had simply become too large for it.

This implies that the campus was growing. The accurate story is that the congregation became too small for it's campus.

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Ticketing practices for High Holidays could be opened for less enfranchised folks at Reform Synagogues like the Riverway Synagogue on Longwood Avenue and at Kent Street and Beacon St.

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not Riverway Synagogue, but yes, they're less than welcoming to people who aren't wealthy. Dues are based on age instead of family income and there's a building fee that they won't offer a sliding scale for, stating that members are required to pay the $4000-something fee. They tell you how to donate to the Jewish food bank but not how to access it. They refer to the local Boston Public School students (which includes their own congregants, despite their trying to downplay this) as underprivileged children.

There are many lovely Jewish institutions in this city that are welcoming to all (and don't require high holiday tickets), but this isn't one of them.

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