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November 29, 2002
Youth help keep shuls stable
Aging memberships have caused concern at some local synagogues.
KYLE BERGER REPORTER
Beth Israel Synagogue, the city of Vancouver's only Conservative
shul, has been around for almost 75 years and has more than 700
families, which is large for a community like Vancouver.
While numbers like that would create the image of a healthy organization,
at the end of October, a letter was sent out to the entire congregation
suggesting that the synagogue could be in trouble in the future
if membership numbers don't increase.
Shannon Etkin, Beth Israel's executive director, assured the Bulletin
that the letter was not meant to suggest the end is near for the
congregation, but only to raise the awareness that as the congregation
ages, the synagogue must adjust.
Etkin explained that since many of their membership joined 40, 50
or 60 years ago, the congregation is going through what he called
a natural process of aging.
"When you have a large synagogue that has been around for decades,
there is a natural process that it goes through of aging and then
rejuvenation," he explained. "We have to let people know
that we are here, we are open, we have important services and we
change with the times."
Etkin said he believes that younger families would be more attracted
to Beth Israel if they were aware of what the shul had to offer
them.
"[The synagogue is] more than a Shabbat service, more than
a Hebrew school," he said. "What it is, is providing a
grounding place for people to celebrate their Jewishness spiritually,
religiously and culturally."
While Beth Israel's aging congregation has shown a decline in membership
numbers, Congregation Har-El in West Vancouver is growing.
According to the shul's executive director, Sheila Milstein, Har-El's
numbers have increased by 10 per cent in each of the past three
years, a growth she attributes to stability.
"It actually probably started with our new building because
people became aware that there was a real synagogue here,"
she said. "We've got a great community, a dynamic rabbi and
a North Shore lifestyle. What else could you ask for?"
The congregation was established in the early 1970s and includes
approximately 240 families. The current facility was completed in
1997.
Milstein said that the strong base of younger families in their
community has contributed greatly to the shul's expansion.
"Let's put it this way," she explained. "Three years
ago we tried to do a toddlers' mommy-and-me group and we only had
three kids. This year we've got over 30."
Milstein said that even with the recent success, Har-El is constantly
campaigning for new members.
Several years ago, Congregation Schara Tzedeck found that their
membership was dropping slightly, mainly the result of an aging
congregation.
However, Jeffrey Blicker, the synagogue's second vice-president
and membership director, said that a lot has changed at the shul
since they have enticed more younger families to join.
"We've changed a lot of things at Schara Tzedeck," he
said. "We brought in a program director and a youth director
and we've put a lot of young people on the board."
Blicker said that when it comes to attracting new members, the board's
goal is as simple as making the synagogue an important part of the
Orthodox community's lives.
"We didn't want it just to be a place to come and pray on the
weekends or the High Holy Days," he said. "We wanted to
make sure people felt welcome at Schara Tzedeck and that they could
be part of the Schara Tzedeck family."
Schara Tzedeck has approximately 490 families.
The membership numbers at Beth Tikvah Synagogue in Richmond have
remained fairly consistent over the past few years with only a slight
drop attributed to several years without rabbinical leadership.
However, now that Rabbi Barry Leff has taken over Beth Tikvah's
pulpit, the congregation's president, Jeffrey Wachtel, said he expects
the number to start increasing.
"There were probably families that were holding off until [a
rabbi was hired]," he said. "The rabbi has met with some
of those families to secure their membership."
Wachtel said that since Leff has a background of being an unaffiliated
Jew himself, the rabbi may have a better grasp of what Richmond's
unaffiliated Jews are looking for.
"I think that is exactly what he is going to attempt to do,"
he said of Leff's plan to focus on attracting the unaffiliated.
"He is fairly up to date and a little more modern in terms
of what Judaism is today, how it is practised and what people will
respond to."
The president said that for the most part the congregation was very
loyal throughout the search for a rabbi. However, he acknowledged,
had they not agreed to terms with Leff when they did things might
have changed.
"I think that, had it gone on much longer anybody's patience
wears thin. So it's a good thing that Barry came along when he did.
But the membership was very understanding in regards to what went
on."
Beth Tikvah currently has approximately 250 member units.
Judith Wolfman, the executive director of Temple Sholom, Greater
Vancouver's only Reform congregation, said their membership has
been steadily growing for a number of years. With approximately
645 households representing their congregation, Wolfman said they
are not currently organizing any programs specifically designed
to attract new members.
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