This week, teenagers and university students across 20 United Synagogue communities and beyond participated in one of many fascinating Tribe Yom Kippur Debates. Yom Kippur can often be seen as boring day sitting in a synagogue, but through this initiative Tribe have been successfully encouraging younger members to attend and participate in a thought-provoking and interesting debate at their shul.
The debate theme this year focused on the question of individuality versus the collective. 'Are we always stronger working together or is it sometimes more sensible to focus on individual needs?' 'If the individual is all important where does that leave society?' The moderator in each community led the debate between two people in favour and two people against the motion. The discussion during the debates included a wide range of issues from Brexit to Jewish Social Action as well as the story of Jonah.
Talking about the initiative which he piloted in South Hampstead US, Rabbi Eli Levin said: “The Yom Kippur debate is an immense opportunity to interact with the young people who fill our synagogues on Yom Kippur. I’m delighted that through Tribe this project has gained momentum in communities across the country. The debates this year were really well thought-out and encouraged participants to think about crucial concepts and ideas that they may not ordinarily engage with in a Jewish community forum.”
David Collins, US Director for Young People and Young Families, added: “At Tribe, we encourage our members to be active and engaged members of their community. The Yom Kippur Debates facilitated many interesting discussions and many young people who are not usually engaged with their community joined in. I’d like to thank the amazing team that put this year’s debate together.”
