I know I can't really decide based on one visit, but I don't think I'll be joining the Reform temple in my new part of town. WAY too much like the one I grew up in.

It wasn't like it in the pretensiousness factor, which albeit was the worst aspect of the childhood place, but matched it in the starchy recitations.

It even used the old blue prayer books, the ones that use all the masculine words. Granted the rabbi didn't read it that way, but still.

It was the Reform of my childhood, the one where just about the entire service save for a few melodies were in English. And there were fewer songs than the other one's I've been to in adulthood to make room for more of that formal responsive reading. IF there's going to be responsive reading, I like it where the room is randomly divided into those who read the bold and those who read the italics. Nope, this was Rabbi reads The Words, and we respond in robotic unison.

Even the sermon failed to stimulate. It was all about how the Maccabees revolted against the origional olympics, and why they were bad for Jewish Culture. After ten minutes of this, he ended basically by saying "Oh, but these new ones are good because they bring nations together yada yada." Basically contradicting the whole point, if there was one.

I can forgive it in that it's summer so these are probably not the typical services. Even the rabbis at my shul in Cali got a bit lazy about the weekly stuff this time of year.

Ok, now I feel really guilty about writing this disparaging stuff. I wanted to dedicate this entry to somebody special, but that shall be a positive one. I'll write it in a couple days, which is more appropriate anyways. You'll see.

-CRbE

-CRbE