We built this place for someone like you
I hope you are feeling well and happy at the start of September/ Elul (Hebrew month). I have a particular fondness for the fall. As someone who has always been starting a new school year as a student or teacher or both, I look forward to the "starting fresh" feeling of fall. So much the more so as we get ready for the special, sacred, and soul-enriching time of the year: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
I started Secular Synagogue as an online community (before most anyone had heard of "Zoom" and no one predicted a global pandemic). Why? Two reasons:
I knew I was part of dynamic, exciting, beautiful communities that connected meaningfully and did awesome Jewish stuff without a lot of the traditional BS and I knew there was a need for that on a larger scale.
I had small kids and getting off the couch at the end of the day was a real challenge. I wanted scrolling in my social media feed to be something enriching instead of depleting.
In short, I needed something and I felt like there were others out there who might need it too!
Four years later we have such a special community - my very fave corner of the weird and wild place we call the internet. We are a Jewish community that will celebrate you as you are, including who you love. We want to know you and we want you to know that Judaism can be a force for goodness in your life and together we can be a force for goodness in the world. If you are secular/culturally Jewish, exploring becoming Jewish, partnered with or the family member of someone Jewish, looking for Jewish culture and community without any "shoulds" or guilt over rules, want a place where we can learn, challenge ourselves, and do serious Judaism without taking ourselves too seriously (we have fun!), and/or you want to do Judaism online, well, you are not only welcome here, but we built this place for you.
There are two ways to join us for High Holidays this fall:
1. Sign up for High Holiday services. These are evocative (yet only about an hour). These are meant to engage you and get you ready for a fulfilling year, in touch with your values and yourself. Of course, they are and always will be fully online. Info is here: https://www.secularsynagogue.com/high-holidays-program
2. Sign up as a member! Membership is always monthly and if you decide it's not for you you can leave every time. I never want you to feel stuck. I do want you to feel that you're not just attending a program/event, but rather are part of a team who wants to know you and who cares about each other. Membership gets you access to all of our offerings, High Holidays, book/film club, speakers, DIY reflection guides and tons more! Info is here: https://www.secularsynagogue.com/l-learn-more
Fall is a season of both tradition and newness. We begin again all over again, with familiar and comforting traditions that we can also approach in a new way. We are different each year at this time of year. We turn and return to similar questions and themes, and we allow something new to emerge. I love it. I hope I get to experience it alongside you.
With love and respect,
Rabbi Denise
