The Importance of a Bomb Shelter Synagogue

Every since moving to the city of Modiin-Maccabim-Reut I have prayed at the Masorti (traditional) synagogue located in Maccabim. We are a small community and use an above ground bomb shelter as our Beit Knesset. The Masorti Movement is the equivalent of the Conservative Movement in the U.S.
Truth to tell, I haven’t been a big fan of the Israeli version of the U.S. Conservative Movement or the Progressive (Reform) Judaism Movement. They have spent, over the years, an inordinate amount of time in political advocacy and attempts to gain legal recognition. For the most part, this effort is akin to banging ones head against the wall. Their following, composed mostly of immigrants from English speaking countries, are not numerous enough to cater too for one thing. It would also take much more than a civil government ruling to overcome the vigorous opposition of the Orthodox, not to mention the strongly held cultural view in Israel (even among secular and anti-religious) that the only authentic religious Judaism is Orthodox.
I also felt that they were going about it all wrong. Any official recognition the Conservative and Reform Movements received might make their leadership feel they have gained something but how would it impact Israeli society as a whole? If these movements really want to make a difference then they need to put their efforts into changing Israeli society’s perception of the them. Concentrating on a long-term grassroots campaign in order to create awareness within Israeli society, to expand synagogue membership, youth group participation, and creation of formal and informal adult learning centers is the way to achieve positive goals. It also takes patience. Creating societal awareness and change is a multi-generation task. One which they cannot let up, especially, as the Masorti movement’s website states since they “strive to nurture a healthy, pluralistic, spiritual and ethical foundation for Israeli society.”
Every High Holiday season for the last few years the Masorti and Progressive (Reform) Movements in Israel have made efforts to attract Israelis to their services. From placing advertisements in Israeli newspapers inviting the populace to their High Holiday services to running programs on alternative forms of worship such as meditation and song prior to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. They have met with some success in attracting new congregants and educating the Israeli public. Their numbers are slowly expanding. The Masorti website states they have 50,000 members and affiliates and 125,000 people a year are involved in their programs. This demonstrates that grassroots efforts are more important and effective then legal battles and making public relations statements such as the annual attempt to worship at the Kotel during Shavuot. This event usually turns into a battle with the ultra-orthodox and the Masorti worshippers have to be protected by the police.
This past Shabbat my synagogue, Congregation Shalhevet Maccabim, held a special Saturday morning service led by children. The bomb shelter had only a few empty seats. A fifteen-year-old girl, a child of American immigrants, born and raised in Israel, led the first part of the service. She was dressed in a black blouse and blue jeans. Yet she stood at the bimah with a talis around her shoulders fully at home and comfortable, at tune with her modern self and ancient tradition, leading the congregation in prayer.
After the service, we all gathered together outside for a community Kiddush. Locs and bagels were served. I suppose some habits from the old country are hard to pass up on. However there we were, all of the congregants’ together, immigrants from English speaking countries, South America and native-born Israelis, eating, and socializing after a morning of communal prayer. Our Israeli children were running around us, at home within the synagogue and out of it. We were, in our own small way, enacting societal change. We still have a few seats left in our community. There are also plenty more bomb shelters in Israel, which could be used for Beit Knessets.
A last word: someday soon, I would like to look at the Masorti Movement website and read that there are 500,000 members and that they serve one and a half million people a year. That would demonstrate true, positive societal change in Israel. Perhaps by then, at Shavuot, Masorti and Progressive worshippers wouldn’t need a police escort at the Kotel.