The Synagogue Survival Kit

by Jordan Lee Wagner

In an effort to counter the confusion and isolation often experienced by a novice synagogue-goer, as well as by many who regularly attend synagogue, The Synagogue Survival Kit offers introductions and instructions for all aspects of the synagogue experience. Always mindful of the sophisticated adult reader with little or no Jewish background, Jordan Wagner clearly and comprehensively explains, in a non-dogmatic way, the practices, vocabulary, objects, and attitudes that one can expect to find in any synagogue.

Genres: Judaism, Jewish, Nonfiction

348 pages, Hardcover

First published January 28, 1997

Reviews

[Nicole T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A survival kit only in the loosest sense - if you make it through this and understand the majority of it, you will have a sound understanding of the broad structure, origin, and intent of traditional services and their components, plus a thorough orientation to the synagogue and its typical contents. Thriving, not just surviving!

I made it through, but I didn't understand it all. I found the book to be inconsistently interesting; some chapters drone on and on (2 stars, "just ok") while others intersperse fascinating trivia with beautifully moving observations on the history and nature of Judaism (4 stars, "really liked"). Averaging to 3 stars ("liked it").

If I ever start attending traditional services regularly, I'd revisit this in advance.

[Dale Rosenberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

My local public library branch is very small - just one little room. I don't think there are a lot of Jews in the area. Ours was the only sukkah I saw anywhere near us and we did have neighbors ask what it is, so my guess is there's not a lot of Jewish knowledge in our part of Worcester. However my library branch often has Jewish-themed books in the "New Books" section. My guess is some librarian noted that as a subject on which they have little. There's often books on Hanukkah ::rolls eyes:: and Jewish -themed cookbooks, but I was intrigued to see this guide to synagogues on the new book shelf.

It is new to the library but not new at all, having been (self) published in 2000. Twenty-two years is not a lot of time in Jewish history, of course, but this book focuses on synagogue practice in the U.S. and that has changed a lot in that time. For example, the author says that most American Jews belong to Conservative synagogues but are "really" Reform in practice. The second half of that is a matter of opinion (and leaves out the fact that many Jews who belong to Orthodox synagogues don't practice Judaism in an Orthodox way) but the first half is just plain wrong. It actually was wrong even when written (most American Jews were unaffiliated then) but it's "wronger" now. Most American Jews are still unaffiliated but the percentage who belong to Conservative synagogues has gone way down and now of the affiliated many more belong to Reform affiliated synagogues. You also see outdated descriptions of practice in the synagogue, which is what the book is about. For example, under the list of siddurim (prayerbooks) that are most commonly used, it refers to Sim Shalom as the "new" Conservative siddur. It's now the old one.

There is actually some good information in this book, but beyond being outdated, it is of limited usefulness, I think, because it is so biased towards Orthodoxy. The author attempts to sound even-handed. He never says, for example, that Orthodox practice is better. He just says things like "Many people find Orthodox shuls to be warmer and more inclusive because they tend to be smaller and much of the congregation can get honors." He doesn't give the other side of this by saying, for example, "Other people find Orthodox shuls off-putting because half of the congregation (women) are not permitted to lead services, read Torah, or have other honors and because there is less effort than in the other movements to explain what's happening during the service or to accommodate those with less Jewish knowledge." And the aforementioned list of of "commonly used" siddurim has 5 Orthodox siddurim before it gets to a non-Orthodox one, in spite of the fact that only 10% of American Jews identify as Orthodox, making it unlikely those are the ones most commonly used.

I can see why the library bought this book. It purports to let a non-Jew or non-Jewishly-educated Jew understand synagogue practice and my guess is the librarian choosing the book didn't know enough to recognize its flaws. As a Jewish educator, I say its bias and its outdated information make it of limited usefulness.

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned quite a bit by reading this book. I learned about Jewish names, Jewish holidays, the poetry of the Hebrew language (acrostics), the open-mindedness the religion tends to have in certain subjects, and how "miracle" is not a translation since it doesn't exist in Hebrew but instead is closer to "wonder". (So even flowers are "miracles") I learned much more, but that's my summary. I enjoyed it, but it did get long-winded. There are so many parts to the service that are added on throughout the book it definitely got overwhelming... although I think the author did really try to make it less so.

[Mariah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been reading about Judaism, and wanted to have an idea of what I was in for if I visited a synagogue, so I thought this book might be helpful. It gives very comprehensive tour of Jewish liturgy- so much so that my low-church Protestant brain got rather lost in its complexity. However I did learn some interesting things on how Jews view prayer and etiquette surrounding religious items like Torah scrolls, prayer shawls, and skull caps. The author seems to present it as a beginner text, but it's really not. This is a better book for those who have some experience with synagogues but want to learn more. So it's actually a good book, just not what I was looking for.

[Marlena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am Jewish, but was not raised going to regular services. This book not only provides practical information, but gives the backgrounds of rituals, how they formed, and ritual objects and their significance. While a good amount I knew, it was nice to know why things are done the way they are in a synagogue and sometimes when this developed in history and the variations between orthodox, conservative, reform, Ashkenazic and Sephardic traditions. Highly recommended for anyone wanting a fuller understanding of Jewish rituals.

[Adam Glantz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has great descriptions and explanations of the traditional Jewish religious service, which is the basis for my rating. But it fails to do what its author intended for it to do. By the middle of the book, the presentation is just too complicated for someone to assemble it into a how-to for a service. The diagrams help, but the prose is too analytical and not sufficiently synthetic. Still very worth a read.

[Kaiti · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book for explaining the how and why of services. The order things were presented in didn't totally make sense to me, but it gave me a lot of "aha" moments and understanding of why things are the way they are!

[Craig Bolton]

The Synagogue Survival Kit by Jordan Wagner (1997)

[Stephenie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with all sorts of useful information, a must read for anyone not raised in Jewish tradition who is curious about Jewish services. It is a bit dry at times, but overall an awesome book.

[Elisa Guajardo Carothers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really helped me understand my Jewish roots more! A great guide with some fun Jewish Midrash!