If folks were having a hard enough time dealing with the notion of “Tikkun Olam Judaism” (which could have real traction if handled and programmed properly), now geb a kook to the new flavour of the month: Jew-pon Judaism.  

What’s a Jew-pon, you ask?  It is what happens when you cross coupons and Judaism, or what Noam Neusner proposes as a revitalizing strategy for lagging synagogue attendance…  folks buy coupons from the Federation and give them to the Jewish institution of their choice in a pay-as-you-go fashion…  If day-schools-as-Starbucks was not bad enough, now we have shuls-as-Sam’s-Club … Now houses of worship can vie for consumer coupons by offering THE BEST KIDDUSH, THE SHORTEST DVAR TORAH and THE SEXIEST POLE DANCING RABBI  … yee-ha!  I hope y’all are happy.

HULK NOT CONSUMER!

If the Financial Crisis of 2008 taught us anything, it should have been this: Not every Jewish communal problem has a financial / market / rebranding solution.

WE ARE NOT CONSUMERS OF JUDAISM!  

WE ARE JUST JEWS!