tive community. Today, we have an educated community that feels empowered to do whatever they want; they do not look to others to do it for them or give permission or approval.

Aharon Horwitz: From a communal orientation, the definition of generative “ do-it-yourself Judaism” is activities that connect Jewish purpose and mission with contemporary realities. Do these activities further some Jewish purpose? Will they impact others, or help to change the world?

Throughout history, we’ve imitated the world around us. The Jewish state is a great example of this imitation, as was the Sanhedrin before it. I am interested in a DIY Judaism that upgrades our operating system. What structures must be imitated and imbued with Jewish values in order for us to succeed?

Elie Kaunfer: The real DIY question is: How can we empower Jews to live in communities of passionate engagement with the substance and depth of the Jewish tradition? If that can be done within the mainstream institutional landscape, great; but to the extent that it is done best by start-ups, then that is the value of DIY Judaism. For the most part, the more than 60 independent minyanim started in the past ten years were trying to create those engaged communities.

Lisa Lepson: Do-it-yourself Judaism reflects the changing demographics and contemporary lives of young people. For example, the Mission Minyan in San Francisco emerged as a pluralistic model, reflecting a growing contemporary value of pluralism; a lot of the emerging communities are imitating those societal trends.

Farber Miller: Other trends — marrying later, having fewer children, being more mobile in place and career — are also important. In Denver, half of our under-40 community are newcomers who do not have roots. In such cases, more episodic programming is warranted.

Horwitz: Often, DIY communities have nuanced relationships with the broader institutional scene. They enrich the larger community and the larger community helps them.

Kaunfer: DIY Judaism is not a parallel track in Judaism. It is part of a continuous loop with the mainstream.

Bruder: The Web 2.0 concept — that anyone
can put up content on the Web — is incredibly
empowering. I know there is a long-standing
conversation in the art world about who is an
artist now that anyone can put art up on the
Internet. That sense of empowerment, access,
and doing away with exclusivity and authority
are part of the same trend in DIY Judaism.
There is a general societal shift away from au-
thority, structure, and institution.

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Are there models or ideas that will help entrepreneurial
ventures become more sustainable, or do we need to
change our idea of what sustainability really means?

Farber Miller: Generation Xers are often motivated more by the values of opportunity, freedom, compassion, and volunteerism, and less by the values of obligation and duty. They view themselves as experts and, in many cases, they have been very successful outside of the Jewish community. Today, it seems that people need to distinguish themselves, to load up their résumés. People do not wait to take leadership or initiative; they do it at a young age and develop an ‘I can do this’ attitude.

Lepson: What happens when these DIYers want to settle down or when their minyan can not adequately prepare the children for bar or bat mitzvah? Is the minyan going to become a transitional place where it is always young people or is it going to morph into a more institutional environment eventually?

Bruder: On a personal note, I attended Kehilat Hadar in its earliest years, but I was ten years older than most of the people there and I was one of the first people in the minyan to have a child. I stopped going when I became a parent because the place had lots of stairs and no space for kids. Five years later, they started to address this issue. That community has grown as its participants’ needs have grown. Where I live now, in Riverdale, there is a steady flow of young families coming from Manhattan. The Riverdale synagogues are definitely responding. The community is enriched and challenged to absorb, expand, accommodate, and grow with new demands.

Kaunfer: There are two ways to look at minyanim: Either as a replacement for existing institutions, or as a means to meet demands created by the new realities of what it means to be in your 20s and early 30s. Minyanim are serving a population underserved by mainstream institutions. They have also become a critical