The Hearts of Our Parents
2022 is a significant year for us as a community, as well as for Liberal Judaism, of which we are a part.
120 years ago a young Jewish woman, Lily Montagu, agitated against the norms of the time that expected women to create a close relationship to the Divine and community without giving them the necessary access through community membership or Hebrew and Jewish education. It’s a fun fact that Jewish women got the right to full membership and voting in the Jewish communities, before they won the right to vote in national elections in 1928. She sought a different form of Jewish community that would encourage women’s participation and understanding, and when she did not find that she began to lead religious services for women herself, at the tender age of 20, in 1873, which eventually led to the formation of the Liberal Religious Union in 1902, now called LJ. The foundations of how we lead our contemporary Jewish lives, the way we have opened our services and liturgy both in language, theology, and equality stems from the actions of this remarkable woman and the people who supported her vision. She had a saying that is as powerful today as when she said it; “We cannot worship with our parents’ hearts”.
Realising the need to be part of a community that spoke to our hearts, our concerns, and that reflected our values in every aspect of our Jewish lives, rather than the form of Judaism that many of us grew up with, was the impetus to the creation of this community in 2011.
It is 10 years ago that we became a fully fledged ‘cradle-to-grave’ community, 2011 was also the year I was ordained and became the rabbi of the Chavurah.
Last year was our 10th anniversary and this year is a space to celebrate what we have achieved and an opportunity to think about who we are and what the community means to us. I find that the words of Lily are a very apt challenge for us today; “We cannot worship with our parents' hearts”.
What does living a Jewish life mean to us today, whatever the makeup of our household? How do we make choices that are grounded in our Jewish identity and values? And what happens when we struggle? What are the streams that make up our sense of Jewish wellbeing, that nourishes us, challenges us? And after the pandemic, where so many realised the importance of community, of relationships, and of thinking collectively, what do we want our community to be?
This year is an opportunity to explore our own Jewish identities and ideas; through learning sessions on Jewish theatre and culture or Israel, being part of the monthly services, mucking in with the many tasks and activities, and our wonderful Friday night Shabbats, where there is time and space to talk, listen and learn.
One place to begin your explorations is to help write our story as a community by asking yourself these questions: When did you join, why, what has surprised you since joining, what do you value, and what sums up the community for you?
Either write a short email or record it as a video, and send it to sandra@crouchendchavurah.org