Answered prayers

At 50, the once-flagging Mevakshei Derech congregation is thriving

By GAIL LICHTMAN
Mevakshei Derech 521 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Mevakshei Derech 521
(photo credit: Courtesy)
‘We are no longer the generation of the desert. We have now entered the Land.”
That is how Iris Beth Weiner, the executive director and cantor of Mevakshei Derech, a liberal egalitarian Jerusalem congregation, describes the congregation as it celebrates its jubilee year with the opening of a new wing – the Sidney and Freda Davidson Educational and Cultural Center with two preschool classrooms and a kindergarten.
Founded in 1962 as an independent congregation by a diverse group of immigrants and native Israelis seeking to create a home-grown Israeli Judaism, Mevakshei Derech is just what its name says – a congregation for those seekers of the way who are trying to find their own religious path. Fifty years later, Mevakshei Derech still, as a matter of principle, does not have a rabbi. Its philosophy is that people must be responsible for their own Judaism and so different members lead the services, teach and give divrei Torah.
The original founders included the late Rabbi Jack Cohen and late Dr. Nissan Schanin, both students of Rabbi Mordechai M. Kaplan, the theological father of Reconstructionist Judaism. Their intention was to build a congregation reflecting Kaplan’s vision of Judaism as an evolving civilization, where decisions are made through education and distillation of values from traditional Jewish sources. Rabbi Kaplan himself was a member of the congregation for 10 years after his aliya in 1973 at age 90.
Beginning with study and prayer groups, first in member’s residences, Mevakshei Derech soon grew to need its own premises. In the early 1980s, then- Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek gave the congregation two adjacent plots of land on Shai Agnon Street in the San Simon neighborhood.
Construction commenced in the mid-1980s. The first building, housing the sanctuary and offices, was completed in 1987. The foundation was laid for a second building but, as Weiner says, “life happens” and the congregation was unable to raise the necessary funds to complete the project.
“From the beginning, the original vision was to have a campus – a community center where people could participate in Jewish education, prayers, study and cultural activities,” Weiner relates. “That vision is only being completed now.”
In 1999, Mevakshei Derech was unable to continue as an independent congregation. It joined the Israel Reform Movement. As part of the World Union of Reform Movements, the congregation has been able to retain a strong Reconstructionist influence.
Sometime around 2005, the municipality notified Mevakshei Derech that if it did not complete its second building, the city would reclaim the land. The congregation decided to make the original vision a reality.
“We realized that this is beyond just creating a modern practice of Judaism,” Weiner notes. “Part of our mission is also to keep Jerusalem pluralistic – both religiously and culturally. When we decided on having the building house the preschool and kindergarten, people asked us: ‘Why? Everyone knows young families are leaving Jerusalem,’” Weiner continues.
“But we felt strongly that we have to provide services for young families and create a home for them so they will stay in the city. It is not enough just to do for our own congregation. We have to be part of something bigger – to partner with others to be stronger and to work toward keeping Jerusalem open to all. That is also why we have opened our facility to Tnuat Yerushalayim [the Jerusalem Movement, a party dedicated to advancing the interests of young families].”
In its endeavors to complete construction, Mevakshei Derech was befriended by Vicki and John Goldwyn of Michigan.
“Their family gave a major gift that enabled us to go ahead with building,” Weiner states. “The building is in memory of Vicki’s parents – Prof. Sidney and Freda Davidson. Vicki’s father was a professor of accounting at the University of Chicago and an ardent Zionist, who helped to establish the accounting program at the Hebrew University. The family wanted their gift to go toward a Jewish educational institution. Because of their love of Jerusalem, they chose Mevakshei Derech.”
The remainder of the funds came from private donors, with the congregation giving generously from its own pockets.
THE CLASSROOMS are located on the new building’s second floor, which is connected to the original building via an outdoor link. Mevakshei Derech still needs to complete the first floor, which will house educational and cultural activities.
Two of the classrooms belong to a private preschool for children aged one through three years. It is run in partnership with Mevakshei Derech and has 38 children.
The third classroom is a kindergarten for ages four through six, run in partnership with the municipality and Ganei Hayyim, the early childhood centers of the Reform Movement. It has 22 children and includes an afternoon program run by Ganei Hayyim.“Our philosophy is that children should be able to experience pluralistic Judaism from the earliest ages,” Weiner adds. “The emphasis is on experiencing.
We start with havdala [the blessing for the end of Shabbat] at the beginning of the week. We have blessings and prayer. Everything is in an open and accepting atmosphere. Plus we have a staff that spans the spectrum of Israeli society. The kindergarten teacher is an Ethiopian. We also have a mix of Sephardim, Ashkenazim, young and old, as well as a special-needs aide. The private preschool is run by a male teacher and the aide for kindergarten’s afternoon program is an Orthodox, guitar-playing man who is a follower of the late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach.”
“The aim of our early childhood centers is to provide children with a positive Jewish education and experience,” says Udi Cohen, director of Ganei Hayyim. “We want to give our children a foundation for Jewish life by providing them with a Jewish vocabulary through songs, words and phrases and celebration of the holidays and Shabbat. We don’t judge on observance. We praise children for their behavior and not religiosity. In almost every one of our centers, we have either a special needs child or staff member. Tikkun olam [repairing the world] is a very important part of who we are and we want to expose children to all kinds of people.”
“The parents who come to us want a Jewish education on a high level without being boxed into a community,” Cohen goes on. “Many were once Orthodox but although no longer so, still want their children to know Jewish tradition.”
Michal Ben-Chitrit, a native Jerusalemite, lives with her husband and four children in Ramat Danya. She chose the private preschool for her youngest child, Avigayil, age one and a half.
“I am a secular Jew but when I choose to practice Judaism, I do so in the Reform way,” she says. “I want my children to have the option to be both secular and have a modern Jewish identity. I want them to know they can be Jewish and practice their faith in a pluralistic way. I want my children to think it is normal for men and women to sit together in synagogue.”
Tali Ginsburg has both her daughters in Mevakshei Derech – Shaked, five, in the kindergarten, and Gillie, two, in the preschool.
“When I signed the girls up, I was not really sure,” she recalls. “But Mevakshei Derech is within walking distance of our home and both girls would be in the same place. I have been pleasantly surprised.
The preschool and kindergarten have exceeded my expectations. The holidays are done extremely well.
My husband and I come from Orthodox homes. It is very important that the girls have a Jewish background and enjoy Judaism so when they go to our parents they understand what is going on.
“When Shaked started and we bought her a kippa for prayer, she was horrified,” Ginsburg adds. “She didn’t want to wear it. But now, she really likes it and is so enthusiastic about holidays and praying. It makes me happy to see her like this. I know I made the right choice.”
Avishag Ortal, who lives in the Katamonim, enrolled her daughter, Orie, four and a half, in the kindergarten.
“This is a fabulous kindergarten with a fantastic teacher,” she says. “The High Holy Days were so memorable. The staff really knows how to explain things to young children. The most amazing thing was the celebration of the Sigd – the Ethiopian holiday.
The children learned about another culture – Africa. I am very pleased that in there is a male teacher in the afternoon program. Young children mostly interact with women. Having a male teacher opens them up to new experiences.
“Plus, religion is presented in such a nice way. We want our children to have a Jewish upbringing but not to be confronted with ‘you have to do this or that.’ Orie is so confident now. This has made us very happy. We love this kindergarten.”
For Mevakshei Derech, the new wing represents a turning point.
“It was nothing short of miraculous how the congregation pulled together,” says Weiner. “Our older members have invested a lifetime in building this congregation. Now, most of our new members are Israeli-born, many young families. This has brought about a rejuvenation of Mevakshei Derech.” •