Resources in response to “The Third Place”
Hayim Herring, director of Synagogues: Transformation and Renewal, has written an essay (”Synagogue Renewal in an Age of Extreme Choice: Anything, Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere”) which is included in the recently published volume, Synagogues in a Time of Change (edited by Zachary I. Heller). The June 29, 2009 Alban Weekly feature (”The Third Place“), excerpted from Herring’s essay, explores Herring’s thesis that “synagogue-based Judaism must engage in a radical reorientation if American Jews, and the many constellations in which they come, are to perceive the Jewish religion as responsive to real-life issues.” (If you have not read the article yet, please click on the title now and read it.)
Herring points out that we live in an age when anything can be modified or created more easily than in the past; when anyone can be his or her own “expert” in many areas; when goods and services are increasingly available at anytime; and where multiple cultures can be experienced virtually anywhere. With these realities in place, questions of meaning inevitably arise: what is most important?; how do I exercise control wisely?; what community is most desirable?; how do I demonstrate respect and responsibility towards others?
He conceives of the public “third places” (between home and work) as venues for working through some of these questions, and challenges synagogues to become relevant, inspiring “third places” that speak to the hard questions people face in our postmodern context.
Resources that address the issues Herring raises are listed at the end of the article. For more information and insight, you might also consider the websites of two organizations: Herring’s own Synagogues: Transformation and Renewal and Synagogue 3000. Both organizations are among the resources included in our special report, “Resources for and from Jewish Congregations“—which covers a variety of topics and offers a resource index as well as options for providing feedback. And the special report is itself among the resources included in the “Judaism” section of the Congregational Resource Guide.
Let me also refer you to the “Small Groups” section of the Congregational Resource Guide. And for those interested in the congregational challenges posed by current technology, be sure to check out our “current focus” front page feature in the CRG, “The Networked Congregation.”
What are your thoughts about the potential of congregations to become vital “third places” in public life? And what resources would you suggest?
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