[gondramB]

In case I'm not the only one who didnt know waht Shul meant. >> shul (shʊl, shūl) pronunciation n. Judaism. A synagogue.

[thoughtomator]

What is happening is that the non-Orthodox strains of the religion have been given over to PC-ism and secularism. Just like in any other religion, the strains that stand for nothing ultimately give their adherents no reason to devote themselves to it.

[lexington minuteman 1775]

OEY VEY!

[therut]

I have never understood why so many Jews are agnostic or athiest. I just does not make sense to me. Can someone explain it I have read or thought of a few things. To follow the religion truthfully takes alot of time and pious ritual. Many lived under communist or socialist governments. After the Holocaust some did not want to be associated as a group so they gave up their religion.

[goldstategop]

Its liberal Jews who don't go to shul. I suspect a rabbi preaching liberal sermons is as exciting as a Democratic politician delivering liberal bromides. Why bother if you can get the same thing outside shul? Liberalism cum Judaism has no real future.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[onedoug]

I go to shul, even though they all know I ain't Jewish...by birth or conversion that is.

[Antoninus]

Sadly, for most Jews I know, being Jewish is more of an ethnicity or a club than a religion. The most devout Jew I know (outside of FR), is a Catholic.

[timsbella]

I schlep my kids at least twice a month. It's all about family and community. A good rabbi is a good draw. Ours has grown from 300 members to 300 families in seven years. Leadership is key.

[Celtjew Libertarian]

There's a problem with this, however. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Christian observance -- at least in many denominations -- is more centered around the church than home.

In Judaism, a lot of religious ceremony is done at home. Except for the high holidays, attendance at Synagogue isn't demanded. Lighting the Sabbath candles and the Pesach Seder are home-based traditions and are the centers of those observances.

There's also a smaller bias, in that there are Jews who live in communities, where there is no active congregation. Where I grew up, there was a synagogue, but after the last rabbi left in 1969 and the last cantor around 1974, services were irregular. Some communities have a handful of Jews with no temple available to go to. That's not a complications Christians in the U.S. have.

[kalee]

ping