My recent visits to Twin Cities Jewish Renewal Community (TCJRC) in Minneapolis and The Aquarian Minyan in Berkeley highlight the strength and vitality of our movement. These key communities, celebrating their 5th anniversary as an ALEPH network community and the 50th anniversary of the founding of The Minyan, embody the spirit of Jewish Renewal through shared leadership and active participation.

From the bustling streets of NYC to the warm beaches of South Florida, across the shores of California and to the heartland of the Midwest, Jewish Renewal is alive and thriving.

Key Observations

1. Shared Leadership: Our model fosters deep connections, empowering individuals and strengthening our communities.

2. Inter-generational Dialogue: We must focus on nurturing the next generation of leaders, ensuring the continuity of our traditions while embracing innovation.

3. Expanding Reach: Communities are partnering with local organizations and leveraging online platforms to spread Jewish Renewal practices.

4. Seeding a Sacred Future: This was the theme of The Minyan’s golden anniversary celebration. We must remain committed to sustaining and evolving our practices, ensuring Jewish Renewal remains vibrant and relevant.

Challenges and Opportunities

– Knowledge transfer: Ensuring that the wisdom, experiences, and institutional memory of the current leaders are effectively passed on. 

– Cultural continuity: Maintaining the core values and practices of Jewish Renewal while allowing for continued innovation and evolution.

– Engagement: Attracting younger members who may have different needs, expectations, or ways of connecting with spirituality and community. 

– Leadership development: Identifying and nurturing potential leaders from younger generations.

We are Stronger Together

In “Braiding Sweetgrass,” Robin Wall Kimmerer discusses how trees in a forest communicate and support each other through a complex underground network of fungi, often referred to as the “Wood Wide Web.” This mycorrhizal network allows trees to share resources, send warning signals about environmental threats, and even nurture their offspring.

Our communities, like a forest of interconnected trees, support each other through an often-invisible network of shared wisdom, resources, and spiritual nourishment. This natural phenomenon parallels the interconnectedness of Jewish Renewal communities in several ways:

1. Resource sharing: Just as trees share nutrients through the fungal network, Jewish Renewal communities share wisdom, practices, and support.

2. Mutual support: Older, more established trees (or communities) can support younger ones, much like how established communities like The Aquarian Minyan might guide newer ones.

3. Communication: The network allows for the spread of information, similar to how ideas and innovations can spread through the Jewish Renewal movement.

4. Ecosystem health: The overall health of the forest depends on this interconnectedness, just as the vitality of Jewish Renewal as a whole benefits from the connections between communities.

5. Unseen connections: Much of this activity happens underground, unseen, which could represent the spiritual and interpersonal connections that bind Jewish Renewal communities.

6. Nurturing future generations: Just as parent trees use the network to support seedlings, established Jewish Renewal communities are focused on “seeding a sacred future.”

This metaphor of the forest’s underground network beautifully illustrates the organic, interconnected nature of Jewish Renewal communities. Individual communities, while distinct, are part of a larger, living system that supports and nourishes all its members.

As we move forward, let’s continue to nurture our interconnected network, supporting each other and “seeding a sacred future” for Jewish Renewal. Together, we can ensure our movement continues to thrive, providing spiritual nourishment and community for generations to come.