Jews Without Dues: Is It Possible?

Nationally, only about 30% of people who describe themselves as Jewish are members of a synagogue. Concerned about this trend Jewish leaders at the Union for Reform Judaism and the United Jewish Appeal have studied the issue and found that declines in membership can be attributed to more factors than just money, though certainly membership fees are a contributing factor.

What's behind the decline: Some Jews say they don't feel engaged by at a synagogue or find this sense of belonging in other venues. Time pressure is another reason cited by Jews for their failure to affiliate with a temple. Parents say that homework and children's tightly scheduled activities leave little time for religious practice. Furthermore, 50% of Jews intermarry, reducing Jews commitment to support their local synagogues.

Declines in synagogue membership may also be caused by demographics. Jewish singles tend not to belong to a temple and prefer to attend their parents' synagogues rather than join on their own. One Jewish woman I spoke with said, "I don't get it. Synagogues are willing to lose Jews for the years between the time they leave for college and the time they have a third grader who needs to start studying for her Bat Mitzvah. Not only are temples losing out on more potential members and a larger Jewish community, they are losing out on 20-25 years of donations even if it's not for the full amount of membership." Some empty nesters drop their memberships after their kids celebrate their Bar/Bat Mitzvahs because they no longer feel engaged and they are, "... sick of paying high membership dues and ultimately paying for other people who can't afford it," said a Greenacres mom.

Gary Katz, former Executive Director of Scarsdale Synagogue Tremont Temple Emmanuel blames the introduction of Chabad in Scarsdale as another cause of the decrease in synagogue membership here and elsewhere. Chabad recruits on college campuses, securing the commitment of students who enjoy participating but don't have the means to pay. Chabad does not require any initial investment.

Clearly membership fees are an issue. Membership at most local synagogues in this area involves annual dues, typically ranging from $3,000 to $3,500 well above the national average. Some have "building funds" of $3,000 to $7,500, charged to new members as a one-time payment, payable over several years though there may be a "discount" if it is paid up front.

Religious school costs are additional and are usually more during the years that kids are studying for their Bar/Bat Mitzvahs in third through seventh grades when they spend more time studying in class. Bar/Bat Mitzvah charges are additional and include private tutoring. Unique in its approach, Commack's Temple Beth David in Long Island charges nothing for seventh graders for religious school.

In our area there are some lower cost options: In June 2014, Greenburgh Hebrew Center, a Conservative congregation in Dobbs Ferry, began offering new members an introductory rate of just $180 per adult per year for two years. "Dues may increase thereafter," said Judy Calder, Vice President of Membership Activities, "but the manner or degree of increase is still uncertain as we're currently reviewing our overall dues structure."

Westchester Jewish Center (WJC) in Mamaroneck charges less for membership dues than most other synagogues in the area, so it may be more affordable to people looking for a conservative congregation. According to WJC's administrative assistant, they do require that all members purchase their High Holiday tickets. Seating is tiered, and members can spend as little as $134 per ticket to watch services in a room on a big screen (which, of note, sold out during the summer,) or as much as $457 per ticket for seats towards the front of the sanctuary.

Pay-per-seat arrangement are offerend at some synagogues but some people such as Rabbi Dan Judson with the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) feel this is not aligned with Jewish values. 

Christian institutions use a different model to finance operations. Most churches collect money at services or ask for voluntary donations via email. One Scarsdale woman who is in an interfaith marriage said, "Trying to convince my husband to spend $3,000-$5,000 a year just to join a Jewish congregation is hard when he's used to a voluntary donation at church of maybe a thousand dollars a year." Another woman who has been very involved with her synagogue for years cautioned that comparing churches and synagogues is not comparing apples to apples. "The Catholic church distributes money to local churches," she said, "so they are not dependent on the congregation like synagogues are. Also, churches do not need security. Synagogues hire security because they are at risk of attack." The argument that the "cost of being Jewish" is too high and that cost is a barrier to membership is one that synagogues hear regularly.

Synagogues are finding that they need to develop creative ways to engage (and retain) current members and to market to potential new members. Free Sunday school for the first year and open tot Shabbats are just some of the incentives offered by synagogues. Gary Katz said, "We work with potential members to find something that will work for them. We have a non-member rate for religious school prior to third grade, for example." Jessica Lorden, Vice President at Kol Ami, insisted that they do not turn anyone away who cannot pay: as did five other synagogues that provided information for this article. Some synagogues take a member's word that they can't pay full dues while others require tax returns as proof. Still others offer gratis membership or reduced dues if children are attending the synagogue's preschool. "That's great," said one mom, "but Jewish preschool in Scarsdale is $1,000-$2,000 more a year than non-Jewish preschool in Scarsdale. So, she continued, "its just one more way I feel like I'm being bumped from being part of the Jewish community. If you can't pay the high rates of a Jewish preschool, you can have your child attend a secular church preschool for $1,000 less."

I raised this topic with an unaffiliated mom with young children who married within the faith and would like to be a part of a synagogue and Jewish community. "I just can't wrap my head around it. A synagogue on Long Island has dues that are less than half of what we are asked to pay in Westchester. At a temple in Long Island, their building fee is $1,700 over five years or $1,360 if you pay it all at once. Religious school fees are very reasonable and their social, religious, and educational programming is phenomenal. Why can't Westchester synagogues operate similarly? Until then," she continued, "I'll just be thankful that I live in a place where I'm comfortable being Jewish."

For some, synagogue membership is worth the fees. Alison Litofsky who serves on the executive board of SSTTE says her family enjoys the benefits of membership. "I do think being a part of a synagogue is worth it even though it's expensive because it's important for us to have a place to worship and keep Jewish traditions alive," she said. "I also believe synagogues have a higher function. Participating in programs such as a mommy-and-me music class, packing food for the interfaith food pantry, and attending a women's retreat are all programs that have allowed me to make meaningful relationships with synagogue members of all different generations." (As a side note, SSTTE offers a free new moms group to anyone in the area whether you're Jewish or not.) Judy Calder of the Greenburgh Hebrew Center noted, "The value of membership is intangible, personal to everyone, and ever-changing as needs evolve." Likewise, the UJA-Federation Synergy report concluded that in order for synagogues to survive and thrive, "...members [need to] know in what they are investing and can explain why they are making this investment." That being said, should synagogues consider offering free "introductory memberships?"

Rabbi Dan Judson, a doctoral candidate at Brandeis University wrote his dissertation is on voluntary funding models for synagogues and he has become the recognized expert on this issue. Judson thinks that synagogues don't do a good job of being transparent with their finances. "Many synagogues make the budget available to membership," Rabbi Judson said, "but there remains a substantial difference between making the numbers available at select board meetings and publishing them proactively on a website." He pointed to secular non-profits and their ratings on sites like Charity Navigator which measure their transparency.

Judson noted that after the Chabad House of Brandeis made the Rabbi's salary and and the temple's budget public, donations increased. "People want to know how their money is being spent when they give," he said. He thinks that if dues are voluntary and budgets are transparent, members will step up to finance their synagogues. "Commitment and engagement on the part of the membership will lead to monetary donations," he said, "and we need to decouple membership and money for Judaism to be sustained. People are motivated to give by a sense of belonging when a need is being met."

A task force has been meeting at Kol Ami studying the potential for an alternative dues structure. "Improving relational Judaism needs to come first," Kol Ami's Jessica Lorden said. "We need to improve our culture," she continued, "and get people to feel committed and connected to the synagogue. We need to determine what causes successes or failures with alternative models of membership." A former temple board member said that she believes that the temple needs to engage congregants – "physicially, emotionally and spiritually. Once they feel the connection, they will be willing to pay their fair share to support the synagogue."

Westchester Reform Temple (WRT) is not yet considering any changes. They had a recent face-lift and their congregation of 1,200 families is large and growing. With three rabbis and a cantor and a half they consider themselves a vibrant and active synagogue with exceptional programming. WRT seeks to attract young families with a 50% discount until the oldest child is in third grade. When asked why WRT and other Westchester synagogues are so much more expensive to join than synagogues elsewhere, Executive Director Alan Halpern said he thought it was because, "...Synagogues here are younger, volunteerism is down, and members are more demanding. Members want more educational and social programming, all of which cost money."

Last year, the UJA (United Jewish Appeal)-Federation of New York released a document entitled "Synergy- Connected Congregations: From Dues and Membership to Sustaining Communities of Purpose." The document outlines ways for synagogues to increase their connectedness to their Jewish communities with the focus being on the community's commitment and involvement. They found that a "transformation of synagogue engagement paradigms accompanies a transformation of membership structures. Membership, dues, and engagement work together; a dues change cannot succeed without working on the engagement of congregants in Jewish life. Meaningful synagogue relationships and commitments allow Judaism and Jewish life to flourish."

The report acknowledges the need for funds to operate and recommends models of membership including Mishkan, Kitchen, or a hybrid of the two.

Mishkan means "Each member a partner," and is based on free will dues or fair-share. The Mishkan model encourages increased participation in the synagogue by naming individuals as vital stakeholders. Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum of Seattle is quoted in the document as saying, "...to start with the money is backward." She suggests that people join the community first and pay later, once they place a value on the synagogue. The Kitchen model is an a la carte model of synagogue membership. Each additional activity (luncheon, high holiday service) comes with a recommended donation. The hybrid model combines the two and is describes a model where membership is a partnership opportunity but not required for participation.

Is your synagogue considering changing its dues structure in the near or distant future? Why or why not? What is your synagogue doing to attract and retain members if it wasn't included here? Let us know in the comments below.