by Rabbi Micahel Berk

Some of us are old enough to remember the counterculture revolution of the 1960s, but few recall the movement of that time that seemed to threaten the very existence of the synagogue in America. It was the nascent Chavurah Movement, started by disaffected Jews in Boston who did not belong to any of the many temples in the area. They formed chavurot-small groups of Jewish individuals, couples, and families who were seeking to share Jewish life in connection with each other, but felt no need for a synagogue. Rabbi Harold Schulweis of Valley Beth Shalom synagogue in Encino carefully observed the phenomenon, but instead of lamenting the movement, he embraced it. Instead of feeling threatened, he felt the chavurot could actually save the synagogue. Owing to his creativity, synagogues across America began to form chavurot with their members. It was sheer genius.

Rabbi Schulweis noted that the problem of disconnection with the synagogue was not new. He explained that the Gerrer Rebbe had been appalled at his Hasidim because they did not know what had happened to one of their peers. "You study together, pray together and celebrate your festivals together, and you don't know if he is sick or well? The Gerrer Rebbe was disturbed that the school house could be a place where students came to get their own needs satisfied, uncaring and unknowing about the students learning next to them. That would never do.

As recently as 20 years ago the Fein Report, a study of Reform synagogues by renowned Jewish thinker Leonard Fein, reported that "friendship patterns do not appear to play a leading part in the determination of temple membership." He found that 60 percent of the adult respondents in the study had very few friends, if any, in the temple. Schulweis called that a "sobering revelation."

This is a problem. Cantor Bernstein and I still see it at many of our Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies where too often the only temple members in the sanctuary celebrating with the young man or woman are their immediate family. Many of our families have no friends who are CBI members. This is a tragic condition.

It's true that we live in a time that prizes individuality, the centrality of the self and the pursuit of one's own happiness. We live in a place where people often find themselves uprooted and unrooted, having left the large families and neighborhoods of the East for the free wheeling, do your own thing, culture of Southern California. In addition, we are a large congregation and our members often do not live near each other. But the truth is that people do want to connect: they want to connect to significant community; to other people united by something larger than themselves. Many at CBI have found that connection in a chavurah. If you're still searching, a chavurah may be the answer for you too.

CBI has been in the forefront of the Chavurah movement for nearly a quarter of a century. Our Program Department, headed by Director Bonnie Graff, carefully creates and supports our chavurot, taking into considertaion each person's needs, interests, background and stages of life. Each chavurah is made up of 10-12 member individuals, couples or families, averaging 20 members per chavurah, who make a commitment to get together on a regular basis - usually once a month - to celebrate Jewish life. They determine the time, place and content of their get-togethers. We have about 30 chavurot and last year I met with nearly 20 of them. One theme emerged that I will never forget: for many of our members, their chavurah is the strongest link they have to CBI.

The chavurah program works so beautifully at CBI because it takes us beyond the concept of a physical neighborhood toward the very powerful idea of a "spiritual neighborhood." It also breaks a large synagogue down into smaller communities, allowing members to find a meaningful connection to our community.

Schulweis says,

To experience true belonging is an imperative prerequisite for the cultivation of religious and moral sensibilities.

In other words, the chavurah is the key, for many, to finding a true experience of belonging at CBI.

Apply to join a CBI Chavurah
Read more about CBI Chavurot