Article appeared on September 5, 2003 - Reprinted with permission of the Jewish Advocate

Shir Hadash Includes Jews Of All Types

By Susie Davidson
Advocate Correspondent

"The past has a vote, not a veto," said Rabbi Mordecai M. Kaplan, the founder of Reconstructionism.

With this concept in mind, the Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Havurah of Newton has re-examined biblical text and tradition for the last 22 years.

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Shir Hadash is a typically Reconstructionist, member-led congregation of varied religious backgrounds that encompasses all ages and lifestyles. Shabbat morning and High Holiday services are held, along with B'nei Mitzvah celebrations, baby-naming ceremonies, and shiva minyans. Reconstructionist and traditional elements are followed with a transliterated siddur. High Holiday services are held at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston in Newton.

"We daven and mark life's joys and heartaches together", said Gerard Badler, the membership chair. "We're bound together by our love of Jewish learning and the joy of long-lasting interpersonal relationships."

The group builds membership through the innovative usage of direct mail as well as newspaper ads.

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"I liked having class in a relaxed environment with very knowledgeable instructors," Michael Lazarus of Newton, who is now attending Yale, said of his Shir Hadash educational experience.

The group's adult education program currently offers a series on Judaism and mixed marriages, and a book club and ongoing discussion groups. The Passport to Israel program partners with Combined Jewish Philanthropies on high school student trips to Israel. Shabbat services, which focus on the weekly Parsha, include child care and children's activities. There are also social events such as Friday evening potluck dinners, Chanukah and Purim parties, family holiday programs, an annual retreat, hiking and biking excursions, and film and theater outings.

"We enrich our do-it-yourself approach by inviting many outside speakers," said the Havurah's president, Aaron Seidman. Recent visitors have included Osvaldo Golijov, a young Argentinian Jewish classical composer; Russian journalist Yevgenia Albats; Wellesley College professor of religion Barbara Geller; Brandeis post-doctoral fellow Khaleel Muhammed; and Rabbi Arthur Green, past president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College.

Inclusion extends to the landlord as well; the church's pastor occasionally speaks at services, and the two groups are working together on building enhancements.

"We ask our Bar and Bat Mitzvot to take on roles that are actually performed by adult members of the community," said Seidman, listing duties that include leading services, reading Torah and giving a D'Var Torah. "Each child's coming-of-age event is unique and is a joyous occasion for the family and the community."

"Our members are eager to help new members to learn to read the Hebrew alphabet, lead part of a service, give a D'var Torah, chant text from the sacred scroll, play in our Klezmer band Shir Madnessí or sing in our chorus," Seidman said. "Our community celebrates those who take leadership roles and those who practice newly acquired skills, even when the results are less than perfect."

Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Havurah of Greater Boston meets at the Lutheran Church of the Newtons, 1310 Centre St., Newton Center. Saturday services begin at 9:45 a.m. For more information, call 617-965-6862, e-mail info@shirhadash-ma.org or visit http://www.jrf.org/shirhadash