Diversity evident in Ashland synagogues

Rabbi Marc Sirinsky reads over the Torah at Emek Shalom on Wednesday. Photos by Thom Larkin | Daily Tidings

There are three synagogues in Ashland, but ask any of the Jewish leaders in the community to describe the various groups, and they will quickly tell you there are four.

The largest group of Jewish people living in the Rogue Valley are the unaffiliated, rabbis said, and drawing more of that group into their congregations is one of their biggest challenges.

"They're often either Jews who have never been affiliated and don't understand the importance or who move from the big city and leave organized religion," said Rabbi Marc Sirinsky of Temple Emek Shalom.

To preserve the unity of their faith and attract more unaffiliated Jews, Sirinsky and the rabbis at Havurah Shir Hadash and Chabad of Southern Oregon, are reluctant to make comparisons among the three synagogues, but there are distinct differences.

Wrestling God

Temple Emek Shalom claims the longest history in the Rogue Valley, with members meeting for nearly 30 years in Medford before moving to their home in Ashland in 2003.

Although the temple, with about 220 family memberships, is classified as Reform Judaism, Rabbi Sirinsky said he prefers the term "post-denominational" and considers Judaism a "disorganized religion."

"Israel means 'god-wrestler,' so everything is open to discussion and wrestling," he said. "It doesn't make for great organization. It allows for a lot of opinions, a lot of wrestling, which makes a community rich, I believe."

Although labels such as reform, conservative and orthodox once helped expand people's views of Judaism, he said, now they pigeonhole Jews instead of creating a holistic community. His community thrives by including Jews and non-Jewish spouses of all different backgrounds, he said.

Emphasizing joy

Havurah Shir Hadash is the renewal synagogue in town, and although Renewal Judaism, formed in the 1960s, is the smallest branch of Judaism in the U.S., Ashland's group boasts about 150 member families. Their congregation formed 22 years ago, and they acquired their Ashland synagogue in 1998.

Joy brings their community together, said Rabbi David Zaslow, which is created in part through singing and dancing during their service.

"Psalm 100 says 'Serve the holy one with joy,' and we try to fulfill that," Zaslow said. "We try to make our services deep, transformative, healing and joyous."

Finding the joy in faith became much more important after the Holocaust, he said, when one-third of Jews worldwide died. Now the challenge is to remember their people's history alongside the hope and wonder of Judaism, he said.

Zaslow said he believes that emphasis on joy is what attracts so many non-Jewish people to the Havurah's events.

"In general, at most of our events, a very large percentage of people aren't Jewish," he said.

The eternal Torah

The sanctuary at the Havurah Shir Hadash is marked with the Hebrew letter Shin. It has three prongs and represents the indivisible unity of God, Torah, and Israel.

Chabad of Southern Oregon is the newest and smallest addition to the Jewish community in Ashland, beginning their presence when Rabbi Avi Zweibel moved to Ashland four years ago. Chabad is a sect of Orthodox Judaism that sends rabbis anywhere there is a Jewish presence to educate Jews about their roots and fight the trend of assimilation.

"It's not about converting anyone," Zweibel said. "Being Jewish, being a minority, there's always that challenge of retaining one's identity. It gets lost and people assimilate into the larger society. Chabad's mission is to help people retain that identity and allow it to flourish."

Chabad emphasizes the unchanging nature of the Torah and its application to life.

"There are some very core, basic Jewish beliefs that Chabad believes don't change," Zweibel said. "Chabad feels that the Torah is eternal and therefore the precepts of the Torah are relevant for all generations, as they were in the past."

Although many Jews follow the teachings of keeping kosher and the Sabbath, other practices of Chabad, such as prohibiting women from leading men in prayer, limit the opportunity for joint events among the three groups.

"The Havurah and the synagogue have done stuff together for years and years," said Rabbi Sirinsky. "Chabad is the new player. Because they have more limitations on what they can do, such as gender issues, there's less opportunities to share some things with them."

Although all three rabbis would like to see more Jewish people get involved in their community, the synagogues are not closed to those who don't share their faith.

"It always surprises me that people who haven't been to a synagogue feel like the doors are closed to them," Sirinsky said. "You're invited. You're welcome, and there's no attempt to proselytize."

Staff writer Julie French can be reached at 482-3456 ext. 227 or jfrench@dailytidings.com. To post a comment on this story, go to www.dailytidings.com.