Avodah Yom Kippur - Working towards Synaplex?

We had a very interesting and (by most accounts I've heard so far) successful Yom Kippur afternoon program. We did not hold the service that we had run in previous years at temple. Instead, we offered four simultaneous programs: a healing service with Cantor Clissold, a text study and discussion of the Book of Jonah with me, a screening of the short film, Pigeon, with discussion led by Lisa Calderwood and Jay Wiesenfeld, and seminar-style talk with NJ Superior Court Judge Bette Uhrmacher on the image of God as Judge.

One of my teachers, Rabbi Herring (executive director of STAR) likes to remind us not to worry about the numbers of attendees at a program but about the quality and depth of their experience in it. I think we succeeded by both measures. The number of people in attendance equaled or exceeded our usual afternoon Yom Kippur turnout (and we didn't need to lure anyone into coming by giving them special parts). More importantly, so many of the attendees reported outstanding experiences in their sessions. Most complained that they could not decide which option to choose because all looked so good.

This program was a small taste of the model used by STAR's Synaplex initiative. What's Synaplex? STAR's website describes it like this: "While most Jews think of a synagogue as Beit Tefilah (a house of prayer), a synagogue is also Beit Midrash (a house of learning) and Beit Knesset (a house of gathering). It is these three classical functions of the synagogue that inspire Synaplex. Through innovative and concurrent programming that include Beit Midrash and Beit Knesset, in addition to Beit Tefilah, Synaplex synagogues strive to offer programming that is relevant, inspirational and significant so that more people will want to come to synagogue on Shabbat. The underlying goal is to strengthen Jewish Identity and build community." Maybe it's time to try this model on Shabbat - or on a few Shabbatot. Maybe we could actually bring together more of our community and make it more meaningful for them.

Sure, synagogues have been trying to do exactly that through gimmicks and "new" ideas throughout history. There's nothing new under the sun? If Yom Kippur was any kind of test case, I think we can use Synaplex to make our congregation an even stronger Jewish communal center for its members. Let's check it out.