from our HIstory:
The ongoing “From Our History” column draws on and condenses the very detailed history of Netivot Shalom by Diane Bernbaum and Joanna Weinberg, founding members. This introductory column summarizes not only on their account, but also an introduction to that history by Rabbi Stuart Kelman.
In the Beginning… way back in the mid 1980s, there were limited options for Jewish worship in Berkeley. The Orthodox Congregation Beth Israel, established in 1924, was liberal for an Orthodox congregation, but there was a mehitza separating men and women and all services except for those rare ones that were for women only, were led by men. The Reform Congregation Beth El, established in 1945, was traditional for a Reform synagogue with services primarily rabbi and cantor-led, sometimes supplemented by a choir and, until the late 1970s, also an organ. There were two Jewish Renewal congregations, neither with a building of its own: the Aquarian Minyan, founded in 1974 which saw itself as creative, spiritual and egalitarian, and Kehilla Community Synagogue begun in 1984 with a politically progressive outlook. Hillel at UC Berkeley had services that followed Conservative liturgy but were aimed at the university community. In addition, there were many minyanim and chavurot (such as Beyt Chesed), some vibrant and beloved, but all were small. Many people thought it was time to add something new to the mix.
A group at Beth El and another at Beth Israel had tried unsuccessfully to change those congregations to meet their needs. In Feb. of 1989, the two groups met to see whether their goals were similar enough to create something together. Initially the meetings were small–several people sitting around in someone’s home discussing their thoughts about Jewish worship. As the meetings continued, more people attended, raised questions, and offered ideas. Should this be a minyan? A havurah? A synagogue? If a synagogue, what kind? Some people thought it was too big a reach to think of creating a synagogue, but others were determined to create one. Finally, everyone agreed on a general set of criteria for a synagogue: It would be a Conservative/Masorti congregation and would be participatory, with no formal leader. Importantly, it would be egalitarian with both men and women leading the davening and leyning. The incipient organization would recognize a range of personal philosophies, practices, and needs. Everyone had ideas about rituals to add or change–new melodies, gender-neutral terminology, tweaks, and slight changes here and there.
There was a lot of energy and things happened quickly. A flyer in our archives announced the first services: “Saturday, March 25, Saturday, April 8, Saturday, April 22 (and every second and fourth Shabbat thereafter) at 10:00 AM, Berkeley Conference Center.” Since by-laws and at least three officers were needed for tax and incorporation purposes, temporary elections were held in April and Celia Concus became the first president of the infant organization. In May, a budget was drawn up (suggested donation $250/family), fees were set for childcare (1 child – $3; 2 or more -$5), a Board was elected, and this ad was placed in the Jewish Bulletin:
Conservatives in Berkeley?
It’s happening!
If you’ve been longing to affiliate where your heart is–in a conservative congregation–the time is now.
Warm, ongoing, traditional services are held every second and fourth Shabbat at the BRJCC at Rose and Walnut at 10:00 am. Men, women and young adults participate in every service. Childcare is always available.
High Holidays, study sessions and Religious School are in planning. The excitement of creation is here–join us at the beginning!
Four months after that first meeting, on June 23, 1989, a copy of the Articles of Incorporation of the Berkeley Conservative Congregation, A California Nonprofit Religious Corporation was stamped by the Secretary of State of California. The still-unnamed synagogue’s first High Holiday services were held in September of 1989 at the Berkeley Conference Center on Bancroft Way.
On November 14, 1989 President Celia Concus sent a letter to the membership announcing that at a meeting the previous evening, “The Board voted to name the congregation NETIVOT SHALOM (Paths of Peace), a reference to Wisdom in Proverbs 3:17. These words have been incorporated into the liturgy, as an attribute of Torah, appearing in the final passage we sing when returning the Torah to the Ark.” Celia invited congregants to forward any comments on the name by December 7 so that a final vote could be taken at the December 10 Board Meeting. The Board minutes from December 10 report that it was moved and passed that the name of the congregation be Netivot Shalom.
In her president’s message in the April 1990 newsletter, President Celia Concus wrote, “We have just completed our first year as a congregation and a truly remarkable year it has been, considering the talents that have come together in forming our congregation. We held our first service on March 25, 1989, with some 40 or 50 anxious participants. We finished the year with Hadara Stanton’s Bat Mitzvah with nearly 200 in attendance.” Board minutes from April of 1990 note “Stuart Kelman stated that he can accept our offer to hire him as our Rabbinic Consultant if the Federation does not object.” (The Federation was Rabbi Kelman’s employer in his role as head of the Agency for Jewish Education.) In June the Board offered Rabbi Kelman a contract and he accepted.
In his introduction to the history of Netivot Shalom, Rabbi Kelman described his rabbinic philosophy and role in helping to create Netivot Shalom this way:
“What I learned from my teachers, as well as my years working directly in Jewish education, focused my efforts in helping to create Netivot Shalom. I wanted decisions to be based on communal study. For example, early on, the Ritual Committee was the most popular and interesting committee because the impact of ritual decisions was felt and seen by all congregants. The committee, often together with the congregation, began studying tough issues such as gay and lesbian unions and the wearing of kippah and tallit. We approached these concerns like we approached all issues: by studying Jewish source material and the needs of the community and then seeing where they met. We made decisions within the context of the Conservative movement but ultimately came to conclusions that were right for our congregation. Although the final decision lay in the hands of the rabbi as mara d’atra, as the final posek, that was only the last step in a shared process of study that began by defining the issue by the committee, studying the issue in committee, and engaging with the entire congregation in both study and response. Only then could I write a teshuvah on the subject and ultimately issue a decision.
“This process guided us through issues big and small. For example, the timing of Shabbat services was a concern. We understood that beginning at 10 am and concluding around 12 would be a time frame that people would be able to follow. More importantly, a decision was reached quite early as to whether to encourage congregants to go to other people’s homes for Shabbat lunch or to provide a communal experience of lunch together. We decided on the latter and so it became customary each Shabbat to provide lunch for everyone at the synagogue, fostering a sense of community and group cohesion.
“I continued to bring my educator’s training, shaped by Eugene Borowitz’s application of tzimtzum–of stepping back to allow others to grow–to the role of the rabbi. Rather than performing all the roles people think of as a rabbi’s responsibility, I sought others who already had those skills and taught others who wanted to learn them. Netivot Shalom was founded as an egalitarian, participatory congregation and it was important to me that Netivot become a community that valued a variety of voices and within which it was possible to learn from everyone. We were also fortunate to be in Berkeley, a community with an unusually large number of wise, accomplished teachers, scholars and lay people so the weekly sermon or drash became the responsibility of the congregants. Early on in our history, my voice was mostly absent. When congregants mentioned that visitors wouldn’t even know that the congregation’s rabbi was in the room, it became custom that I would do a brief introduction to each Torah reading, but the main teaching came from congregants. They brought through their own life experiences, informed by an immersion into study to their drashot, with the understanding that it be about the parasha and not politics (with certain allowances. This was still Berkeley, after all)!
“We were able to develop this approach to drashot because we began as a congregation devoted primarily to adult study. There was no religious school at the beginning. (We would establish one a few years later.) We focused on study sessions to provide the opportunity for individuals not only to learn different aspects of Jewish culture, tradition, and text, but also to become proficient in the ritual elements of Jewish life. I either taught or helped set up classes to train congregants to lead all parts of the service, to read Torah and Haftarah, and to serve as calling gabbaim. We also created ritual fairs for holidays like Pesach, to teach congregants how to celebrate in their homes.
“It is my hope that this introduction to the history of our congregation provides an understanding of the role of this rabbi as we begin our 37th year of existence.”