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| Facing the filmmaker - Reena, Jane, Betsy, Avruhm, Bobbi, George |
Last summer an intriguing email landed in my in-box, from a
filmmaker. Jeremy Sarachan, a Rochester-based professor, explained: “While on
Sabbatical this fall, I hope to visit several synagogues throughout the United
States to capture the spirituality and community associated with
Reconstructionist Judaism.” He added that while he happily attends a Reform
congregation, he identifies as a Reconstructionist, making this project a
voyage of self-discovery.
We were pleased to be included in his travels. The Delaware
Valley is rich ground for such a project, given the presence of RRC, numerous
Reconstructionist communities, including Minyan Dorshei Derekh, and scores of
RRC-ordained rabbis. Filming on shabbat was not an option, so we planned a
Havdalah get-together on December 6th. Jeremy first joined us at
shabbat services, chatted with attendees over kiddush, and decided to not just
film the Havdalah ritual, lead by Rabbi Malkah Binah Klein, but also to capture
a discussion amongst us.
If you’ve seen one Reconstructionist community, you’ve seen
one Reconstructionist community. There are many hallmarks of our movement;
uniformity is not one of them. Jeremy was surprised at the amount of Hebrew in
our service, as well as the level of literacy. The presence of a dozen+ rabbis
in our midst contributes to that, and also helps attract Jewishly literate lay
Jews.
Rabbi Tamara Cohen pointed out, at Havdalah, that while
Reconstructionists make distinctions, we don’t privilege one distinction over
another. We eliminate the traditional phrase marking the difference between
Israel and all the other peoples. We note the difference between the sacred and
the everyday, and appreciate both.
We reconvened in a circle, naturally, and responded to the
prompts Jeremy provided. Reflects Rabbi George Stern, “Most exciting for me was
the opportunity to listen both to Dorshei members with much more background
about our minyan than I and to newer members who provided new insights. The
conversation revived my enthusiasm about our wonderful minyan and its devoted and
caring members.” We mentioned that our Chesed Committee has been very active,
in response to our minyan aging in place and more people needing healing
prayers and active support. Jeremy noted the high level of compassion echoing
through our service.
Many expressed how impactful the Reconstructionist
Prayerbook, Kol Haneshamah (many of its creators attend our minyan, as
does the editor-in-chief, Rabbi David Teutsch) is on their prayer experience,
providing so many different appellations for God, as well as its inspiring
commentary and beautiful poetry.
Dick Goldberg, a newer member, was struck by “the depth and
richness that exist within our minyan—depth of Jewish knowledge, of commitment
to engaging with the world, of genuine compassion, and of inclusivity, as we
genuinely believe that all are created in the image of God; and richness when
it comes to the different Jewish paths that have brought us together, variety
of life experience, and unique ways of being in the world.”
We are very proud of the role Mark Pinsky plays at RRC,
where he serves as Treasurer of the Board. He and Jennifer were introduced to
Dorshei Derekh by his colleague Adina Abramowitz z”l and have become pillars of
our minyan. Mark’s takeaway: “We don’t usually sit around talking about
Reconstructionism, so it was fascinating and uplifting to spend a few hours
listening to a cross section of Dorshei Derekh. We discussed what makes it
meaningful to us and what we appreciate about our community. It felt like an
affirmation of the choices Dorshei has made over the decades.”
People treasure the variety of styles and approaches that
change weekly. I observed how rarely a member assigned a task had not made it
to shul. Maybe a half dozen times in the nearly forty years I have been
attending? That’s barely once a decade! We are very committed to one another;
people show up.
We are, of course, excited to see how many of our exchanges
make the cut and appear in Jeremy’s film. Regardless, as Debbie Weinstein
points out, “the film shoot provided us with the additional benefit of a
wonderful opportunity for us to share amongst ourselves our appreciation for
the Dorshei Derekh Minyan community.”
Thanks, Jeremy! We are excited about your film. Thanks for
helping us see ourselves in a new light.
