New Conservative machzor

JAN LEE

This fall, as Jews throughout the world gather to acknowledge the High Holy Days, many members of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism will be opening the pages of a new machzor.

Published in 2010 by the Conservative Movement’s Rabbinical Assembly, Lev Shalem (A Full Heart) is the third machzor to have been adopted by the USCJ in more than 70 years. According to the Rabbinical Assembly’s website, it “seeks to embrace the diverse backgrounds and expectations in each of our [Conservative] communities” and reflects a “cutting-edge” effort to draw from the inspirations of both past and present Judaism.

It’s an effort that Congregation Beth Israel in Vancouver can get behind, said the synagogue’s ba’alat tefillah, Debby Fenson, who sees the changes in the High Holy Day prayer book as increasing opportunities for education for the wide cross-section of its membership.

“[Even] as a person who understands the Hebrew and recites certain [prayers] daily, I can benefit from a new understanding of the text,” said Fenson, noting that each page includes not only Hebrew and English translations, but anecdotal text about the history of the prayers, liturgical practices and other points of interest. She added that attending shul is a very personal experience, and that everyone benefits in his or her own way.

“Some people [come to] enjoy the music, some are more motivated to pray or are more able to ... pray in a more traditional way,” said Fenson. “I think a prayer book like this gives people many opportunities to learn and to get more acquainted with the text, which is essential for prayer.”

Congregation Har El, in North Vancouver, also has expressed interest in the new machzor and plans to integrate parts of its liturgy into this year’s Rosh Hashanah services.

“What we have decided to do is slowly introduce it over the next two years,” said Har El’s past president, Irv Nitkin, who serves on the congregation’s ritual committee. He explained that, while the committee felt comfortable with many of the contemporary features, the members felt that the congregation should have the final say as to whether the machzor is adopted.

He added that Har El’s “fully egalitarian congregation” has been very supportive of many of the steps that the editors of the machzor have taken, and that Lev Shalem’s “more modern English appeals to people’s sense of the way they speak the language.

“We changed the Shabbat book to a newer one because it had the opportunity to mention the matriarchs in the prayers,” said Nitkin, adding that the High Holy Days’ machzor appears to be “very gender neutral” as well.

Fenson agreed. She added that much of its language and structure dovetails with Beth Israel’s current efforts to increase inclusiveness in the sanctuary as well. Like Har El, Beth Israel recently modified its version of the Amidah prayer to include the matriarchs’ names. The authors of Lev Shalem address this consideration by providing both the traditional and the gender-neutral wording in the machzor, so that congregations can structure their services as they choose.

Fenson noted that the machzor of a hundred years ago is a far cry from today’s version, which complements the liturgy with contemporary poetry and prose, as well as earlier writings.

Excerpts from the Talmud’s Tractate Berachot and a poem by 11th-century Spanish writer Solomon Ibn Gabirol are accented by 20th-century works, such as the poem “Each of Us Has a Name” by Israeli writer Zelda Schneersohn Mishkovsky and writings by Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. Fenson suggested that the new edition, which also includes traditional commentary from many Orthodox and Charedi sources, will probably appeal to contemporary Conservative readers who want to learn and be inspired.

Still, a machzor that ventures into unknown territory is liable to get a few critics.

“One comment that I heard is that there is too much English on the page,” Fenson said. She acknowledged that the English translation and the accompanying sidebars of anecdotal information make it appear like there is more liturgy in English than Hebrew. Still, the format accomplishes its task, which is to draw the reader into the text and inspire further reading.

Another issue with the new machzor is that the current economic conditions in Canada and the United States have made it difficult for some congregations to make the change this year. With a listed price of $66 US per book, some congregations are staying with the older Conservative machzorim.

Rabbi Claudio Kaiser-Blueth of Richmond’s Congregation Beth Tikvah said that the congregation had decided to hold off making the switch this year, since the members would have had to purchase the books themselves, or sponsor the cost through private donations. The time didn’t seem right to ask members to purchase new machzorim, he said.

“We need to have the funds to pay for it,” he explained, adding that there were no editorial reasons influencing their decision to wait, “just financial considerations.” He added that the congregation may consider purchasing Lev Shalem next year.

Nitkin said the cost was the overriding reason for the ritual committee’s decision to introduce the machzor slowly, and let the congregation make the final decision.

“In our congregation, the [machzorim] are not given out; people have to bring their own, which means ... that if we adopt this, each congregant will have to buy a new machzor.

“In all stages, we will be consulting with the congregation,” Nitkin said.

Still, the editorial changes reflected in this new machzor appear to have hit a chord with readers. Both Fenson and Nitkin felt the format would be more engaging for congregants.

“It gives us the opportunity to expand people’s spiritual approach to prayer and to learning,” Nitkin said.

“I think this is an opportunity to make this a more viable experience for this generation [and], hopefully, for the next generation,” said Fenson.

Jan Lee is the topic editor and a feature writer for Suite101.com’s Judaism section (jan-lee.suite101.com). Her articles on Northwest history, travel and culture have been published in Canada, the United States, Britain and Australia.

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