Is America a Religious or a Secular Nation?

My great-grandfather and all of my grandfather’s brothers were rabbis. They served small village communities in Lithuania, which was, at that time under the control of Czarist Russia. When the 1917 Revolution occurred in Russia, the part of Lithuania they lived in became part of the newly-reconstituted nation of Poland. Despite the change in government, however, the professional circumstances of my family members was unchanged. They remained rabbis in the same villages, even though they were now living in Poland.

This was, in part, because Russia and Poland, like the majority of European countries, did not operate on the principle of separation of church and state.

Under the Czar, there were two types of rabbis that served the Jewish community—an official rabbinate that was in the employ of the government, and an unofficial rabbinate that received remuneration, if at all, directly from the people who lived in the community. All of the rabbis in my family were “unofficial” and many of them received no pay at all for their services. Instead they eked out a livelihood in other ways (e.g. teaching children or teenagers, selling milk and cheeses they made themselves, or working in the lumber or tanning industry where there were many opportunities available to Jews). There were even words in Yiddish that distinguished the “official” from the “unofficial” rabbinate. An “official rabbi” hired by the government was called a “rabbiner” and an “unofficial rabbi” was called a “rav”, which is the proper Yiddish and Hebrew title for “rabbi”. “Rabbi” means “teacher” and the designation of “rav” was one accorded by the people, who recognized the authority of the “rav” because of the knowledge of Jewish sacred text and tradition that he possessed. The “rabbiner” in Czarist Russia were often not trusted by the people. Because of the anti-Semitism and the severe oppression of the Jews perpetrated by the Czarist regime, the majority of Jews saw the “rabbiner” as someone associated with an authority for which they had no trust. In the new nation of Poland, despite its more progressive and enlightened government, the two-tiered system of “official” and “unofficial” rabbis continued. Changing a culture after so long a period of time, was difficult if not impossible. The same type of system for supporting religious institutions existed in other European countries, although in Western Europe, the “rabbiner” were highly respected, since the governments themselves were more liberal and socially progressive and because Jews, unlike in Russia, were allowed to attend government schools and were well integrated into the economy and social fabric of the society.

The European system of managing religious affiliation had many advantages. Religious services and institutions received money from the government that came out of the tax dollars of citizens. This provided significant financial assistance for the upkeep of houses of worship, cemeteries, and schools as well as for the payment of the salaries of religious functionaries. In European countries there were hardly any “unaffiliated” families. Because a portion of tax dollars went for religious needs, in the Jewish community every Jew was entitled to a religious wedding, a Jewish burial, affiliation with a synagogue, and the services of a rabbi. In some countries, like Germany, where most Jewish children attended government schools, there was religious instruction given by priests to Roman Catholic students, ministers to Protestant students, and rabbis to Jewish students. Students were together for their secular studies and separated only for their classes in religion, which met only during one period a few times per week. The main principle behind the European system was that everyone belonged somewhere and everyone contributed to its support.

In the United States, the principle of separation of church and state was established to protect the members of minority religious communities from forced participation in rituals that were not their own. For the Jewish community, it prevented religious zealots from imposing their religious beliefs on Jewish children. The majority of Jewish immigrants to the United Sates came from Czarist Russia, where Jews were forcibly confined in the “Pale of Settlement” and pressured to assimilate and become “Russians” by giving up their Jewish culture and religious practices. The freedom represented by separation of church and state was, to these Jews, of tremendous importance. Separation of church and state enabled all religious communities to thrive as separate, independent entities with none being able to impose its beliefs upon any other. It also enabled those who did not wish to have any type of religious affiliation to not have one forced on them. For many, separation of church and state is a sacred principle—one of the principles of freedom and democracy that our country represents to the world.

However, in reality, there are still ideas as well as occurrences that challenge or are spoken about as if they are a threat to the freedom created by separation of church and state. Among them is the appearance of religious symbols on public property during the Christmas season, the teaching of the Bible or other types of religious texts in public schools, and the ongoing requests for government funding by private religious schools.

I was recently asked by a Christian member of my community how synagogues were funded. I told this individual that synagogues are funded entirely by membership dollars and by private donations from people who wish to give support to the synagogue. I was then asked, “Is every Jewish person then required to contribute to a synagogue?” And my answer was, “No. And there are large numbers of people who identify themselves as Jewish and do not belong to a synagogue, nor do they contribute any money towards the upkeep of a synagogue in their community.” “What then happens,” my interrogator continued, “when a Jew who does not belong to your synagogue passes away or wants to get married? Do you help them?” I answered, “Of course, I help them. Most rabbis have to deal with inquiries like these and the majority make themselves available to any Jewish person that needs help.”

At the end of this conversation, I was left with a lot of questions of my own as well as a feeling that the Jewish community is not unique and that there are a lot of people living in the United States that belong to no religious community but do not hesitate to seek one out when they have some kind of need, such as the need to get married or the need to bury a loved one. What has caused so many Americans to not maintain any connection with a religious institution or organization? Does this have anything to do with so many generations of Americans being raised under the separation of church and state? Has the religious freedom created by the principle of separation of church and state caused many people to reject religion altogether—or place it into a locked cabinet that only needs to be opened when a personal need arises? What are so many Americans who do not attend church or synagogue regularly missing in their lives and what effect has this had on the quality of how they live their lives? Does it have an effect on their relationships including family, marital, and social relationships such as friendship or even neighborliness?

Every twelve-step program that has been created to counteract addictions is centered on acknowledging the existence of a “higher power”, however one personally defines this term. Does this tell us that addictions and other dysfunctional behaviors occur with greater frequency among those who do not sustain a spiritual center within themselves than among those who do?

And what will be the future of our religious institutions if they are allowed to be dependent exclusively on the good will of the small number of individuals that are willing to give their dollars and their time and energy to make sure that the churches and synagogues, the cemeteries, and the rabbis, priests, and ministers are there to serve and help them? Is it right that these institutions be available to people who give them no support? As people who serve God, rabbis, ministers, priests, and other religious leaders as a rule would not deny anyone that seeks their help. But can this imbalance be sustained indefinitely? Will rabbis and other spiritual leaders in America, like my European ancestors, come to a time when their work cannot be compensated by private donations and they will have to give their services completely voluntarily and do other things to put food on the table?

As our country moves into a new era with a new president who is calling upon our entire nation to take an active role in healing our economy, it is time as well to look carefully at the role religion has been relegated to by the separation of church and state and what needs to be done to help more Americans find a way to integrate an active form of spirituality into their lives. Our country has become too secular. Part of our healing as a nation should involve a repossession of some form of religion as a much-needed anchor for our social as well as our spiritual well-being.

Temple Israel Athol Religious School

Temple Israel in Athol is a non-denominational, traditional egalitarian synagogue serving the Jewish community of the North Quabbin Region in Western Massachusetts. The religious school at Temple Israel was created to help students and their families:

• 1. Develop and sustain a positive Jewish identity and self-image as members of the Jewish community.
• 2. Become comfortable worshipping and celebrating Jewish life in a synagogue and develop an understanding of how a Jewish worship service is structured.
• 3. Acquire knowledge of Jewish culture, religion, and history that will be useful to them throughout their lives in helping them develop their own personal sense of being Jewish.
• 4. Acquire knowledge of Jewish prayer, tradition, and culture that will prepare them to become Bar and Bat Mitzvah.

The goals of curriculum of the Temple Israel Religious School are simple, measurable, and complete. They include:

• 1. Acquiring a basic knowledge of Jewish prayer in Hebrew and in English as well as the ability to read, recite, and understand the basic prayers found in the Jewish liturgy.
• 2. Acquire knowledge about Shabbat and the Jewish holidays and how to celebrate them in their homes and at the synagogue.
• 3. Acquire an understanding of the various ways in which Jews identify culturally as well as religiously.
• 4. Become involved in Social Action projects that are grounded in Jewish ethical values.

Each religious school session is built around a variety of learning activities that address different learning styles and are also fun for students. The activities include storytelling, acting in plays and readers’ theater performances, songs, dance, art projects, food and gardening projects, and games as well as Torah study and prayer. Students will take away something from each class session that can be used at home.

Calendar and Schedule

Religious school classes meet three times per month—once on the Saturday when there is a synagogue Shabbaton and two Sundays per month. The 2008 - 2009 calendar year for the Religious School begins with a Chanukah celebration on December 21, 2008. Religious School classes begin in January and go through June 6.

The Religious School day begins with a communal activity of singing and brief prayer followed by a story that introduces the theme for the day. All students participate in the communal activity together. The students then divide into two different groups—Kitah Aleph (children aged 6 – 8) and Kitah Bet (children aged 9 – 12). They are in their groups for two Class Sessions. One Class Session, taught by Rabbi Sternberg, will be devoted to learning prayers and making one’s own Siddur. The other Class Session, taught by Suri Maron, will be devoted to study and activities around the theme of the day. All students in the Religious School will be taught by both instructors. The groups are then brought back together for a concluding activity-- a game centered on the theme of the day that is facilitated by the instructors.

Parents who wish to remain at the Temple while their children are in school will have a parents’ activity organized for them in a separate space. Parents will also take turns organizing the snack break.

Sunday Religious School classes take place from 10:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. and follow the following schedule: