A guitar-playing rabbi with a pierced ear and a critical view of organized religion might not be the first person that people would picture leading a Jewish congregation, at least not a traditional one.
But Rabbi Menashe Bovit isn't very traditional, which is why he recently started Makom Simcha, Tucson's Alternative Jewish Congregation, on the Northwest Side.
About 40 people attended the first gathering of Makom Simcha (A Place of Joy) on Aug. 8 at the Northwest YMCA, 7770 N. Shannon Road.
Bovit said he wants to build an alternative, "transdenominational" congregation that doesn't strictly follow any of the three major movements of Judaism — Orthodox, Conservative and Reform.
He said he hopes that in developing a less-structured religious environment, Jewish people will be able to have a more joyous spiritual experience. He said he hopes to incorporate music, dancing and interactive discussions as part of the format, along with Torah study and Jewish stories and traditions, while borrowing positive aspects from all three movements of Judaism.
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Bovit said he believes many Jewish people aren't getting the spiritual enrichment they need.
"I think that many of us, growing up, experienced the Judaism that was anything but joyous," Bovit said. "Judaism oftentimes seemed to be off-putting, boring, irrelevant and not alive enough, not spiritual enough. A lot of people, for different reasons, got turned off."
Bovit, whose father was a Holocaust survivor, said he grew up going to a Conservative synagogue, where he felt "Judaism was something you had to endure rather than enjoy."
Later, while attending the University of Arizona in the 1980s, Bovit saw a new side of the religion when he was introduced to Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, a prominent Jewish musician who reached out largely to those who'd left Judaism.
Bovit was ordained by Carlebach, his mentor, in 1991.
After more than 10 years working as a Conservative rabbi across the country, Bovit said the politics and power struggles he experienced with organized religion were overshadowing the spiritual aspects, which is why he decided to go out on his own.
"I have to do what I feel God put me in this world to do," he said.
Bovit stresses he's not in competition with any of the other Jewish congregations in town, and it's up to individuals where and how they practice Judaism.
Cathy Sherman, who attended Makom Simcha's first meeting with her husband, said her experiences with Judaism as a child left her unsatisfied.
"I felt hungry all the time," Sherman said. "I was learning a lot of facts, but it wasn't spiritual."
Many others, like Stephanie Pincus, attended the meeting because of its proximity to home.
"A lot of people in the Northwest want something here," said Pincus, a life coach. "This is a beginning, and there's hope. It may develop into more."
While Makom Simcha will meet at the YMCA for the time being, Bovit said he hopes the congregation can move into its own facility in the future.
And while Bovit's alternative approach might not suit everyone, there is a large demand for a place for Jewish worship on the Northwest Side.
"We definitely support any rabbi who wants to do something here in the Northwest," said Anne Lowe, coordinator of Northwest Jewish Connections, an initiative of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona that aims to bring together Jewish Northwest Side residents.
In the meantime, Bovit said he hopes to reach out to the community with informal gatherings and alternative Shabbat and holiday services.
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