Feeling Renewed

Last Friday, I had the pleasure of joining a friend of mine for services at Romemu, a Synagogue/community on the Upper West Side that is affiliated with the Jewish Renewal Movement.

Prior to a few weeks ago I had never heard of the Renewal movement, so I was intrigued when I was first told about it. I did a little research and my first impression was that these guys sounded like really really hippie Jews. But, I figured it'd be a fun place to check out.

First, a little background. Renewal isn't its own separate denomination, but according to their website they are "a worldwide, transdenominational movement grounded in Judaism's prophetic and mystical traditions" that "seeks to bring creativity, relevance, joy, and an all embracing awareness to spiritual practice." It apparently tries to infuse Jewish practice with Kabbalistic and Hasidic theory along with meditation, dance, chant, and mysticism.

Romemu also draws from eastern spiritualism. David Ingber, their Rabbi, "spent 10 years studying other sacred traditions in the healing arts including Yoga, Shiatsu, Pilates, Gyrotonics, Kung Fu, and Chen school Tai Chi" and tries to bring these into Jewish practice.

I'm going to be totally honest and say I don't have much of an idea of what most of that means.

But I can say Romemu's Friday night services are a lot more interesting than most. To get an idea of what it's like, think folk music festival where the songs are in Hebrew and a bunch of people get so overcome with emotion they hug the person next to them. It was fun. After the service there was a potluck dinner (remember to bring kosher food if you go) and after the meal, the Rabbi led an interesting discussion on the weekly Torah portion.

The crowd was as hippie as expected, but in a good way. Everyone was friendly and the place felt far more welcoming than most synagogues. It's definitely a place that you can go to by yourself and still feel comfortable.

All in all, it was a good time. If you are looking for a somewhat unconventional Jewish experience you should check it out.

One last thought. If you read the Rabbi's bio, he is a certified Astrologer. Who certifies Astrologers?