These quotes from our members were compiled from various sources
including bar/bat mitzvah talks,
letters to the editor, City Congregation newsletter
items, Shabbat presentations, and NYC publications.
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Hank and Nikki
- We were delighted to discover The City Congregation, a Humanistic
Jewish community that has given us the connection we have long sought -
the connection to those aspects of Judaism which we have cherished all
our lives - its special history, culture, ethics, and holiday
celebrations. And so, with the Congregation we continue to experience
Judaism and Jewish traditions without those rituals that are not
meaningful to us in our contemporary life.
Gladys - I admire people
who resist the pull of conformity and find their own best way. I am
delighted to find such attributes embedded right into the origins of
the very first congregation I have ever joined. (Maybe that's no
coincidence.)
Shirley - I felt a need
to celebrate my Jewish identity in a group setting, but I was not
comfortable with the prayers in even the most liberal reform
synagogues. As a secular Jew with a strong sense of Jewishness and a
wish to continue the Jewish culture, I found in The City Congregation a
place that represents my values. |
Renee - I am Jewish -
culturally, ethnically, and spiritually. I believe in the ethical
imperatives of Judaism. I believe that humans are ultimately
responsible for their own actions. I am grateful that as a Jew there is
a place that I can continue to express these beliefs, mixed with the
right amount of tradition.
Claire - I found
intelligent people who felt as I did. The services honored what I
honored and didn't sound one false note. The communal meal, songs, and
conversations, during or following services have made the holidays
something to look forward to.
Mara and Gregg - We have felt very welcomed and inspired by the Congregation.
Beth - The deep and real humanity that TCC exhibits is something extraordinary and for which we are thankful.
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David - We debated
whether we would be willing to schlep into Manhattan from Long Island
for services, but after checking out the website we were so intrigued
that we decided to give it a try.
We signed up to attend Rosh Hashanah services at the hotel in which the
congregation would be meeting on September 18, the Financial Center
Marriott.
But, a week later came 9/11, and with the hotel so badly
damaged and this area so devastated and inaccessible, the services were
relocated to another hotel in midtown. We debated whether we would go
into the city, just a week after 9/11, but despite our trepidations, we
decided that we wanted, and perhaps needed to go. So, the four of us
took the train into Penn Station, and walked past the walls covered in
posters placed by those people desperate to find their loved ones. It
was an emotionally wrenching time, but when we arrived at those
services we found a congregation that was welcoming, diverse,
intellectually challenging and filled with funny, smart and warm
people. We decided to join, and we have truly embraced the congregation
ever since. True, we occasionally question our sanity when we schlep
into the city every other Sunday afternoon for KidSchool but we are
always delighted that we made the decision that we did.
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Howard - For me
there is nothing more comforting than being connected to a community of
people who have a healthy mistrust of power, question everything, join
lightly, argue passionately and proudly identify with being Jewish.
And isn't that what we all have in common? We are longing,
searching, all on a spiritual journey for a home - a place to enjoy
membership - with like-minded, bright, humorous souls that affirm our
belief in what really matters.
And probably the thing that matters most is our children's
identity. We desire to be mirrors for our children and reflect back to
them why we value this and not that, why we live our life this way
trying to be explicit about the ideas and principles guiding our
behavior. At KidSchool, we are confident that our children are getting
that kind of input, which is consistent with our values.
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Nina - I loved the
adult discussion group that meets during the Kids School! It was
wonderful, thoughtful, intellectually stimulating, fun, warm, and
inviting. I look forward to more group discussions, and getting to know
people in the community.
Janice and John - For us,
belief in the supernatural is just not possible; yet, we cannot abandon
our Jewish identities or our bonds with other Jews; and we are
compelled to embrace ethical principles that link us and our future to
the dignity of all persons and peoples. Affirming one's humanism and
one's Jewish identity is uplifting, hopeful, and joyous.
Devera and Michael - Both
of us were born and raised in observant Jewish families. For the first
time in our over 60 years, we can celebrate Shabbat and our traditional
holidays without mouthing words that had no meaning for us. We finally
feel connection to our own beliefs and, yes, to our Jewish values and
ethics, for us, the soul of our Judaism.
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Deb - TCC has been
an important part of my life for the past ten years. I joined the
congregation because I wanted my daughter to prepare for her bat
mitzvah in an atmosphere that would teach her about her Jewish identity
without ignoring the fact that my husband and his family are Italian
Catholics. After several years of classroom and individual preparation,
she had a beautiful and meaningful ceremony from which no family
members were excluded.
We shape our lives independent of supernatural authority, and this
reality is a source of neither pride nor shame. I read once that, if
diagnosed with a disease you never heard of, those who believe in God
would go straight to synagogue to pray for strength, while those who
don't would go straight to their computer to Google the new disease and
find out as much as possible about options and prognosis. The fact that
I'm inclined towards the computer model doesn't mean that I'm not proud
of my Jewish cultural heritage that I turn to at holidays and special
moments in my life.
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Isabel - I travel from Westchester to participate in The City Congregation's unique programming and school.
At TCC I found a home where people could read everything in
the service and believe it; they do not have to scan ahead and remain
silent during descriptions of human beings as lowly or dependent upon
supernatural intervention.
Our school curriculum focuses on Jewish values, ethics, immigration,
heroes, Jewish humor and poetry, Jewish history (distinguishing fact
from legend), holidays, the Holocaust, the Jewish response to poverty,
and social action. This has proved to be very meaningful and relevant
to our kids.
The Bar/Bat Mitzvah program is a complex process that challenges each
child through examinations of family history, values assessment, social
action and creative exploration of any topic related to Jewish
identity.
Humanistic Judaism stands on a strong foundation of both intellectual
rigor and community among like-minded people. Many participants
describe a spiritual satisfaction from their involvement. This
movement, like all others before it, is a continuation in the evolution
of Judaism.
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