So high holydays time.. shall we gather at the synagogue, say hello to forgotten faces? Want to daven in the holidays? Sure thing, that’ll be £100 please. Seems modern Judaism learned a few tricks from the Catholic church: these days we Jews can also buy an Indulgence, I mean ticket, as recompense in the next world.
Certainly, synagogues need financial support. Yet call me old fashioned but isn’t it incongruous that celebrating Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur comes down to money? Are we going to a gig, theater performance, “Let’s treat ourselves, pay a little extra and get good seats to see the chazan”..?
What would happen if someone just turned up at shul without at ticket – a warm welcome? Or some hemming and hawing awkwardness while signaling frantically to security to escort this lunatic off the premises? What happened to asking for contributions, instead of demanding payment?
So when I heard about a grassroots offering I perked up my ears. Yes! A celebration of the holidays at their essence, minimal cost with everyone contributing by their own means. But lo, what’s this, entry to this ‘grassroots’ is a princely sum not dissimilar to synagogues… I squint and peer closely. Can it be, £45? What kind of grassroots is this? Or perhaps a contribution to a reputable Jewish charity?
Don’t be silly, it’s vital that simple unpretentious celebrations have a real live chazan flown from Israel, marquee with pillows and jugglers, caterers hired… Did I stumble across an invitation to a middle class North London tea party, or Rosh Hashana services? And though reduced tickets are available, why it should be so expensive that the need for a discount even arises?
So, quite impressive this radical ‘alternative’ of the younger generation.. The opportunity to buy a Jewish holiday experience as a commodity, a festival in every secular sense of the word.. I can’t wait for Grassroots Christmas, I mean Hunnakah.
Don’t get me wrong, let anyone celebrate the holidays in any way they like. But I’m not sure how hiring this that and the other and charging a whopping sum for the privilege can be called ‘grassroots’. You want grassroots? Go to the park. Enjoy the splendor of the natural world, consider what the holiday is about, instead of how to make and spend money.
So all the more surprising that real grassroots movements like Wandering Jews (which costs nothing but a contribution to communal meal) should get involved with such an event. When the Haggadah says “Our door stands open to receive any friend to strangers and neighbours, a hand we extend”, I don’t see any mention of shaking down guests for payment at the door..
I guess it gives those who wouldn’t enjoy or bother going to an establishment endorsed “house of worship” somewhere to go, but for £45 you think they could’ve at least removed “grassroots” from the title!
Quite new age I guess. Always a wonder to see the various guises in which liberalism and egalitarianism trickles through. nice thought though… grassroots jews. i have enjoyed wandering jews. crikey, there’s all these little sub-sects with agendas, embedded social/economic requirements and structures already! sounds like the united synagogue!
FYI – we didn’t hire a caterer.
Chazzan helped us to create a “broad synagogue” of attendees.
Those who couldn’t pay, didn’t have to. Those who could afford more did.
WJ is still free and still post philanthropic.
But GRJ was bigger than and more nuanced than anything WJ could have done on their own.
Gertrude if you and Alice B won’t to be part of whatever we do next (maybe bring some brownies to the pot luck) please be in touch. After all to para phrase your own good self,
“an independent minyan, is an indepedent minyan, is an independent minyan”
all bests,
WJ
What exactly does ‘couldn’t pay’ in this scenario?
Do I earn much money? Nope, Do I spend £20 on anything let alone £45 on something? Nope.
But can I pay £45 if I really need to? Yes – there arent too many of us who cant pay £45 even if it means I have to buy tesco value bran flakes rather than kellogs bran flakes for a couple of months
Given that I do have £45, but don’t consider it an appropriate amount of money to pay given the amount I earn, and spend on things generally, would I come along and say £45 is too much for me? No way – how could I come along and take part in your services and then go home and have my kellogs bran flakes for breakfast with a clear conscience. I am guessing as well that no one did come along and ask to come along for free.
So it seems to me saying those who couldnt pay dont have to, starts to put off all the people for whom £45 is a lot of money, but who would never come along and say ‘I cant afford £45’.