Report on Florida Rabbinic Retreat 2022

Report on the Florida Rabbinic Retreat 2022 
By
Rabbi Sholomo B. Levy

At the September meeting of the International Israelite Board of Rabbis (IIBR), Chief Rabbi Capers Shmuel Funnye looked at the small boxes on his Zoom screen, each one containing the face of a Black rabbi. He said, “Our community faces some difficult challenges. We must meet to develop a long-term strategy and we must do this in person.” Everyone knew that he was not merely referring to the COVID pandemic that had occupied our attention for the past two years. We all recognized that there are more serious problems that threaten the future of our community and the survival of our people.

Rabbi Yeshurun Levy, spiritual leader of Beth Shalom Congregation in Brooklyn, New York, immediately offered his retirement home in Orlando, Florida, as a possible location for this conclave. We began planning for what became known as the “Winter Retreat” after it was agreed that we would meet from January 20-23, 2022. Eventually, almost a dozen members of the IIBR (who were all vaccinated) confirmed that they would attend, at which point the venue was moved to a nearby Airbnb. In the months preceding the conference, we worked diligently to identify the specific areas of concern that we needed to address at this retreat. They were: (1) Engagement or Activism. This concern was raised by rabbis who feared that we had become too insular and isolated from the outside world. (2) Demographics. Most of our congregations have become older and smaller. How are we going to reverse this trend or adapt to a new reality? (3) Governance. Here we examined the organizational structure of our Board and its auxiliaries—particularly our Bet Din (rabbinic court) and our community arm, the Israelite Community Vision Counsel. (4) Education. Most leaders were distressed by the slow rate at which new rabbis are being trained for future service through our Israelite Academy. (5) Pastoral Care. For us this term refers to the ways in which we address the emotional needs of our community beyond providing religious services. There were many other proposals, but most of them related in some form to these five areas. Therefore, we spent most of our four days together focused on these issues. Copious minutes were taken, many sessions were recorded, and a full report will be issued at a later date. This essay provides a brief summary of what we accomplished.

Each day began and concluded with prayer. The video of our services (below) are a testament to the devotion of the participants and the bonds of trust and understanding that nourished our souls as we tried to find solutions to our predicament. The fact that our rabbis represent different congregations meant that we did not all use the same siddur (prayer book). Yet, we all knew the same prayers, we quickly harmonized our chants, and gladly learned new traditions and melodies. The liturgy was greatly enriched by Cantor Ya’aqov Dani, who is a member of Hashabbah Yisrael in Charlott, North Carolina. He shared a number of melodious melodies from the Kariate community. And, Prince Zurishaddai of Beit Da’ath Chokmah, Binah, joined us for part of the service. Although it was not our intention to create an instructional video, those recordings can assist laypeople who want to learn how to daven in Hebrew with the cadences used in Black synagogues. And, we are developing a siddur that is tentatively entitled Praying With Fire. This prayer book will codify many of the unique prayers, customs, and songs of Israelites from around the world.

During the first session on engagement, we remembered that when our movement was growing fastest during the 1920s and 30s and again in the 1960s, Israelites were visibly engaged with the larger Black community. We also occupied a prominent and highly respected position in society as a whole. Rabbi Arnold Josiah Ford was a leader in the Universal Negro Improvement Association founded by Marcus Mosiah Garvey. Chief Rabbi W. A. Matthew was a close associate of Black leaders from Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and Charles Rangel to Percy Sutton. Chief Rabbi Levi Levy continued that tradition of engagement and activism by leading prayer vigils after the assassination of Dr. Martrin Luther King in 1968 and Marching on Washington with Reverend Jesse Jackson in the 1980s. Today, Chief Rabbi Funnye maintains a high profile through his many activities, lectures, television appearances, and travels around the world. However, Chief Rabbi Funnye reminded us that he could not continue this alone. As we sat around the mantle of the living room, he said, “Every rabbi must be a leader in his community–not just a spiritual leader of his congregation.” Looking around the room, he continued, “Sometimes you must step off your bimah (pulpit) to attend meetings in your community—even if those meetings are with people who are not Israelites.” Indeed, some of us are active in our local chapter of the NAACP and we marched proudly against anti-Semitism and boldly in support of Black Lives Matter. Yet, the essential difference was undeniable: the principles of Tikkun Olum (repairing the world) and Or Legoim (being a light unto the nations) have taken a back seat to synagogue worship, rituals, and ceremonies. At the end of this lengthy and lively discussion, Rabbi Shalem Yeshurun, spiritual leader of Or Ami Congregation in Atlanta, Georgia, agreed to chair a new subcommittee on better ways to expand our presence beyond the confines of our various synagogues. In this way, more people may come to know us because of what we do—and because of our actions, they may want to know more about what we believe.

The conversations about our demographics were sobering and enlightening. Indeed, ideas flow naturally from one related topic to the next. While we could blame the pandemic for the most recent decline in attendance at most of our congregations, the truth is a downward trend began years ago; the pandemic merely accelerated our decline. Where we were once vibrant and youthful, we are now aging and stagnant. A few rabbis attempted to sound a more optimistic note by pointing to the success and popularity of some Israelite broadcasts on YouTube and Facebook. It certainly seems impressive to know that a particular video has been viewed 10,000 times. However, the most common reactions to this observation about technology were “viewership is not the same as membership,” and “lots of people may give you a “like” or “thumbs up” but only real donations pay the mortgage and light bill at your synagogue.” One rabbi complained about the number of people who keep their cameras off so that they can engage in other activities while casually watching the service.

The most surprising revelation came from Ne’eman, the son of Rabbi Baruch Yehudah, spiritual leader of Bnai Adath in Brooklyn, New York. At first the rabbis were not aware that this young millennial was listening attentively to our conversation. Ne’eman explained, “Many people my age watch Israelites on Youtube for entertainment. We don’t necessarily trust or believe all these people. And, if you could see some of the private chats, we know who really practices what they preach and who just wants more followers and clicks.” This information came as an epiphany to the less tech-savvy rabbis in the room. We learned that young people today know that anyone with a cell phone can proclaim himself to be a leader or teacher of anything. Therefore, our rabbis must conduct themselves with integrity and honor at all times. Our people are looking at more than videos; they are looking at us.

Rabbi Sholomo Levy, spiritual leader of Beth Elohim Hebrew Congregation, in Saint Albans, New York, argued that it would be harder to recruit new members to our congregations for all the reasons previously stated. He explained, “when my father joined Commandment Keepers Congregation in the 1950s, my mother had no reservations about attending with him. When they told my grandparents in North Carolina that they had converted to Judaism, my grandparents respected that decision because they admired the positive way in which my parents lived their lives and raised their children. Unfortunately, the reputation of the Israelite community today has been so badly tarnished in recent decades that most people now have a negative reaction when you say that you are an Israelite.”  There was extensive and heated discussion on this topic as well. Many rabbis expressed their frustration of having to constantly explain that we are not the Israelites that so many people think of today. Rabbi Elijah LaPrince, a member of Congregation Temple Beth-Ell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, said that “In my congregation, many members prefer the term “Jew or Black Jew” precisely to avoid being associated with those Israelite groups that bring shame or disgrace upon the entire community.” Again, Rabbi Sholomo Levy reminded the group that under Chief Rabbi Matthew, we called ourselves “Ethiopian Hebrews,” when Ethiopian was synonymous with Black or African. In 1973, when our Board was formed, we chose the term “Israelite” to avoid confusion with actual Ethiopian Jews who called themselves Beta Israel. If people knew our history since the founding of our first congregation in 1919, they would know that we are the true Israelites. We are not a hate group. We have never practiced polygamy. None of our rabbis have ever gone to jail. We speculated for a few minutes about whether the term “Israelite” could ever be rehabilitated. We even wondered if, eventually, we will be forced to rebrand ourselves in order to survive?

Proposed solutions to our demographic problems took various forms. In one of the many side conversations that took place on the patio and after meals, Rabbi Yahath Yehudah, a member of Beth Shalom Bnai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation in Chicago, pointed out that his synagogue is the result of several mergers—as the long name implies. He said, “Banks merge, airlines merge, large corporations merge all the time, why shouldn’t smaller Israelite congregations  in the same area merge to become larger and stronger?” When this idea was brought before the collective, everyone agreed with its logic. Sadly, we recognized that merging also requires sacrifice; it requires giving up some control, sharing power, and often changing customs and traditions for everyone to feel accepted. Some congregations would rather close than merge. Others will consider merging after it is too late to make the merger successful.

The question of mergers came up again during our meetings about education and the administration of the Israelite Academy. Several current students in the Israelite Academy who aspire to become rabbis were present at the retreat. Azriel Devine, Eliyahu Levy, Rene Thomas, and Trey Funnye all gave us valuable insights. Rabbi Baruch Yehudah, who also serves as dean of our school, led this discussion. He acknowledged that there had been administrative failures in the past. He then announced the details of a bold plan to merge the Israelite Academy with a new charter school called the Renaissance Academy.   The School of Jewish Thought would be one division within the Renaissance Academy. The merits of this merger are greater academic structure and support for students. It would also provide the kind of accreditation needed for students to obtain financial aid. High-level talks have taken place with  Renaissance Academy for several months. Rabbi Baruch Yehudah informed us that a formal merger agreement is on the table. Rabbi Levy asked, “Why isn’t the Israelite Academy exploring possible mergers with other rabbinic institutions such as Yeshiva University, Hebrew Union College, Jewish Theological Seminary, and Gratz College?”  The consensus was that these institutions would probably not welcome a merger with us—even though all of them have graduated Black students in recent years. Chief Rabbi Funnye said, “We will consider all of our options as we move forward with this partnership with the Renaissance Academy.”

By Sunday afternoon, members were departing at different times to catch their flights back home. Therefore, the remaining items on our agenda were tabled until our next conclave. We each had our marching orders and implementing the ideas generated by the “Florida Retreat” remains the mission of our monthly Zoom calls. This gathering was so productive that we have decided to alternate each year between hosting the traditional Israelite convention that is open to the public and sponsoring these private rabbinic retreats. Both of these forums have immense value to our community.

If you would like to share your views, suggestions, and recommendations with the members of the International Israelite Board of Rabbis, please send them to me. We welcome your advice and we need your prayers and continued support.