Spending Friday Night at the Synaplex

A few months ago someone started telling me about these popular monthly programs going on at synagogues in the Philadelphia neighborhood.  Apparently attendance is going through the roof, and all kinds of people are discovering that they don’t actually hate shul.   The program is called Synaplex (Synagogue+Cinaplex…get it?) and the basic idea is to offer a variety of programming options that aren’t just traditional Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv.  The basics are still there, but on a Synaplex Shabbat you can also attend a yoga prayer service, "speed-schmoozing," a nature walk and religious symposiums.  Some Congregations have social justice activities, and art projects and plays for kids.   For synagogues it’s a way to reach new people and to engage people in ways that sitting in services can’t do.  And for shul shoppers and people who are new to religious ritual, it’s an entrance into the community that doesn’t demand a knowledge of Hebrew and basic prayer tunes.   Synaplex is much more popular in Reform and Conservative synagogues, probably because there’s an element of flexibility in Reform and Conservative practice that isn’t as present in Orthodoxy.  It’s kind of sad, though, that there are fewer opportunities for Orthodox shuls to open themselves up to the community and explain all the different ways that Judaism can work in one’s life.   Anyway, check out the Synaplex website and find a Synaplex near you!    You can also read articles about successful Synaplexes in the Chicago Tribune and Earthtimes.org.