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So this is the first shul I went to upon my arrival to Montreal, and while I no longer subscribe to many of the philosophies and practices of the Reform Movement, this shul remains the one where I pay membership dues. If not my ideological home, it certainly is my communal home (in a formal sense. I, personally, jive most with informal community). With a gentle voice, a seemingly magical ability to empathize, and years of experience as a Lesbian woman, Rabbi Grushcow is the Rabbi I am closest to, not just in this city, but in the whole world. There is no shortage of LGBT events at TEBS, and they do not bat an eyelash at any kind of funky dress or gender presentation, nor do they raise an eyebrow if you don't "look jewish" or don't have a particularly Jewish name (like Blair, for instance...) However, with Reform Jews, you sometimes get a different type of quiet judgement. It's the looks you get when you bob on your feet for "Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh," or if you have a tallis any bigger than a clergy stole. Temple itself is not formally frumphobic by any means, and in my controversial opinion there is a such thing as a frum reformnik, but don't expect to be treated warmly by individual community members if you come in your tznius best.
A quick aside regarding insecurity - Maybe one day I'll write a piece on this, but it often seems as though out of some sort of insecurity, possibly owing to Big Orthodoxy's constant war of passive- (and real) agression towards all other ideologies, Jews on the Reform corner of the spectrum often have a knee-jerk reaction to anyone entering their space that might seem to be more observant than them. The immediate assumption seems to be that whoever came in the door has a "holier-than-thou" attitude, which always confused me, because if this person didn't respect liberal Judaism, they would probably not be entering its space and minding their business. I digress.
Aesthetics -- The architecture of TEBS is, well, very much like your typical large Reform congregation. It's a monstrously large art-deco building complex finished in 1960. Despite my general distaste for its modern, geometrically decorated interior, the shape of the building itself is highly symbolic in a way I appreciate immensely: the very top of the sanctuary protrudes into the sky in a dome-like tent shape, opening into skylights on all four sides, alluding to the Rabbinic tradition that Abraham and Sarah's tent was open on all sides to travellers from all directions. Still have to give an aestheic score of 12/18 though, sorry.
Community vibes -- I must say that Temple's overall community vibe typically does well in living up to the value behind their sanctuary's design. Events are inclusive, you'll never sit alone for kiddush lunch, and there is actually a rotating cast of under-35s that are kind and eager to fraternize. In attenting TEBS you will also encounter a lot of Jews-by-Choice, and the attitude toward them is far from snobbish, even reverent. There is a young adult group at TEBS, which I admit I've never been to, and also a queer Jewish group in the area that's been affiliated with them as well. Great overall community vibes, in my experience at least. 16/18
Service -- Finally, the service is pretty typical of Reform in Canada, though Americans may find it more traditional than they would expect. Still, Mishkan T'filah is used as the siddur, with few departures from the page save for when Rabbi gives her d'var Torah. The prayers from MT are definitely shortened in parts, and members daven standing or sitting hauntingly still. The ring finger of a Conservative Jew at Shacharis shockels more than any person in this group. I get that it's not their custom, but not even swaying side-to-side during their lullaby-like rendition of Hashkiveinu? C'mon, why are you working so hard to stay still as stone. But I guess that's on them. Back at the front, the Cantor, Rona Nadler, is accompanied occasionally by a choir of congregants that she teaches. Rona herself is incredible, and also works as a music educator at the university level. There is an electric keyboard accompanying her, unlike a traditional service, but instrumentation is bare and fully unlike an evangelical worship band, and Rona loves to switch the melody of familiar prayers every once in a while to keep things fresh. Finally, as a heads up, TEBS' community custom is for everyone to stand for Kaddish. I don't typically, but when in Rome. I justify my practice deviating from my personal habits when at TEBS by dedicating my recitation to those who don't have anyone to say Kaddish for them, or those whose loved ones don't know how. Sometimes they'll warn you about their customs, and sometimes they won't, so be alert if you lean more traditional or don't shul-hop often! Overall, services are kind of solemn, a bit slow, and have some liturgical shortcuts, but they overall show a refreshing respect for inclusivity, community, and even for tradition (even if just the spirit and not the letter). Services 9/18.
For the first installment of the shul-hopping blog, I went to Shaare Zion. Here are my thoughts!
Aesthetics -- Doing this one first because the shul is immediately a striking sight from the outside: an impressive brick synagogue with an attached school complex. Huge, honey-brown wooden doors framed by intricate round windows and tall arched ones looming from above. Shaare Zion is carved into the top of the stone entryway in stylized Hebrew text, and at the very peak of the facade is the familiar image of two lions holding the ten commandments, like you might find on a Torah shield. Don't be fooled though, this isn't the entrance that's in use. I, along with my girlfriend who will be occasionally joining me on this adventure, entered through the side entrance and we were greeted by a quebecois security guard who led us up the stairs into where the sanctuary was and even showed us where the bathrooms were. The interior was very homey but fancy and kept very clean. In the basement is a function hall where meals can be served, and the sanctuary itself is on the level just above the ground level at which we entered. The sanctuary itself was spacious, gorgeous, imposing, and the high ceilings were lined with antique lanterns. Sage green is used throughout as an accent colour. Overall aesthetic score 15/18. Subtracted points for plainness: the space almost felt too big at times, too much negative space.
Service -- As far as structure goes, your typical North American Conservative service. The Chazzan is incredibly talented, though his assistant seems to lack some energy. Something of note is the professional choir they employ on Shabbos and Yom Tov mornings. Despite being a wonderful group, incredibly talented, and seemingly lovely people, they brought a strange vibe to the service. I know by word-of-mouth that none of the vocalists are Jewish, except one: he converted, citing his experience in the shul choir. Yasher koach to him!! The best word I can use to describe the energy the choir brought is protestant, and there's nothing that gives me the ick more than protestantism (my Greek Orthodox girlfriend just gave me a high-five for that one). On Yom Tov, I expected a little more of a dvar Torah or some holiday-related words from the Rabbi, but we didn't get much. The most I heard him talk was before yizkor when he told a short story that he didn't even write. I'm not going to really mention the pretty intense Zionism that crept into Yizkor and even normal weekday davening. Though disappointing, it should always be expected when dealing with this movement. Interestingly, though we sat for Avinu Shebashamayim, even those who stood around us didn't hold it against us and remained remarkably friendly, so maybe the Israel worship doesn't run SO deep with this crew. But for the overall positives, we got all the expected liturgy, a good davening experience, and lovely leyning and singing. Service score 13/18.
Community vibes -- were pretty good. However, you definitely could tell that until very recently, women had not been called up to the Torah or counted for minyanim. Interestingly, they've been allowing same-sex weddings for a while now. Nobody was intentionally or obviously transphobic, although a congregant misheard my girlfriend's name for a similar masculine one, which wasn't a great experience. Newcomers are greeted with warm smiles and chag sameachs or gut yontifs. Food is served after Shacharis on Shabbos and Yom Tov and it's always a highlight for congregants. Get ready to talk. A lot. Overall I would rate it completely safe for gay and trans Jews, and the congregation definitely seems open to social progress and being corrected if they mess up. Community vibes were giving 'big family schmooze' 14/18.
I've decided to start a new project: the shul-hopping blog series. i've only been to maybe 3 or 4 shuls in the city but there are so many. so, this spring, I’m going to go to as many of them as i can and write about them. some criteria I'll be informally grading on are: service, queer and trans-friendly atmosphere/community vibes, and aesthetics. I'll also do an overall experience score out of 18. I'm starting tonight when I'll hit up Shaare Zion for Mincha-Maariv and a Shacharis later on. come along with me! :)