The Center

The Center for New Jewish Culture is a place for vital, boundary-pushing conversation about what it means to be Jewish. It is a sanctuary for cultural experimentation and ambition, with an emphasis on art, text, food, ritual and new ideas. The Center bridges past and future in its own space in a century-old former synagogue, and it searches for a Jewish way of being that speaks to us now.

The Center

Where is the center of American Jewry? Or rather, who is the center? Each national survey has proven that we know who the center of our population is and how they identify. Whether or not they pay dues at a synagogue (all the more so if they don’t), the vast majority of American Jews say being Jewish is mainly a matter of culture, or a commitment to social justice. This is even more true for Jews born since 1980. Yet no Jewish movement or institution has adequately answered how this center of American Jewry might practice Judaism in a way that commits them to taking culture and justice seriously in the 21st century.

THE CENTER seeks to change that. Located in the building that formerly housed Union Temple of Brooklyn, the Center will be a national intellectual and spiritual hub pursuing a renaissance of Jewish culture in America. By focusing on culture, we emphasize the ties that bind the Jewish people together. It is a false dichotomy to say that some Jews are “religious,” while others are “cultural.” Religious Jews engage in Jewish culture. Secular Jews do, too. Yet while Jewish religion is readily definable, a Jewish life centered on culture or justice is not. Our goal is to become a laboratory for articulating what Jewish culture is while creating it. Importantly, we are not interested in culture for culture’s sake. Rather, we want to meet Jews where they are, and then we want to raise them one. Too often, cultural Judaism is seen as Judaism-lite, but we know that it emanates from Torah and can be infused with it. We see culture as a vessel for moving Jews to act: to think and live in Jewish ways, to develop a Judaism that they can pass on to their children, and to create a Jewish future that is more just. 

During the pandemic, we not only encountered our need to be in meaningful relationship with one another, but we also had our eyes opened, yet again, to the profound brokenness in our world. From our computer screens, we witnessed the stark and widening gap between rich and poor, and the scourge of systemic racism which puts people in danger and permeates our institutions. Experiencing our own pain, the blessing of empathy found its way into the heart of Jewish communities. The moment is ripe to do something big. 

The sanctuary of the Union Temple House has seen it all. Built as a theater in 1929 and redesigned as a sanctuary during World War Two, the room has held countless holy day services and every type of ritual for Jews across the denominational spectrum. In recent memory, the congregation shared its sanctuary with a theater that showcased world class performers and culture creators. Those of you who have been inside know it is a glorious building with a venerable past. Generations of Reform Jews built a thriving community and real sense of belonging within these walls. Sadly, in the early days of the pandemic, a flood destroyed much of its elegant interior. The room has been cleared and cleaned and certified as safe for gathering once again, but the presence of the past – both magnificent and painful – remains palpable.

By hosting this year’s services in the sanctuary, we will breathe new life into a storied edifice. It has not yet been restored and flood damage is visible. But what’s also visible is the layers of history literally carved into the brick and woodwork. There could be no better metaphor for what we are during the High Holy Days: conscious of our pasts with eyes toward building something new; layered works in progress.