Independent minyans are groups of lay people who pray and study together and do not belong to an established, structured movement within Judaism. The first groups began in the late 1990s, and the majority were founded after 2000. They meet in spaces usually outside synagogues and can trace their origins back to the Chavurot, similar groups that emerged in the 1970s. They are found mainly in the United States, with some in Israel.

Their members are not excluded from the formal community, as they still depend on the services provided by traditional Jewish institutions. Most of their members were educated within the Orthodox or Conservative movements. Very few come from Reformism. Their ideology is a blend of egalitarian and pluralist positions with the values ​​of study and observance. They understand halacha as a language that expresses values, not just rules. For example, the question «Can musical instruments be played on Shabbat?» There’s no simple yes or no answer, as ultra-Orthodox Judaism would give it. And what does a minyan mean to them? Seventy percent require both men and women to have a minyan, less than 30 percent require ten men and ten women, and a minority requires at least ten men to be able to pray.

Professor Jonathan Sarna lists eight reasons that have helped this movement emerge within Judaism. The first is the new role of women in the religion. In most cases, women can now fully participate in Jewish religious life. The second is a new spirituality. In addition to the rational aspects of religion and social justice, they now seek to touch the heart and soul. The third is an improvement in Jewish education. Most minyan founders come from day-schools, not from schools that only attend in the afternoons or on Sundays. The fourth is the presence of Israel. Once, American Judaism was the main focus of Jewish life; now it shares it with Israel. The fifth is the opening toward equality in sexual preference. The sixth is the social phenomenon where young people are now marrying and having children at a later age, and traditional institutions have not assimilated this change. The seventh is the new entrepreneurial culture, where the spirit of starting businesses in a garage or living room is reflected in the way of praying. The eighth and last is the more comfortable financial position of its founders.

Rabbi Elie Kaunfer tells us that Kehilat Hadar, founded in 2001, was one of the first independent minyan organized in the United States. Its founders sought a service that included a traditional Torah reading, that both sexes had equal religious rights, that it be led by lay people, and that it engage those praying through music. The first Shabbat service attracted 160 people, mostly young people in their twenties and thirties. Today, it is estimated that there are more than 100 independent minyanim. Professor Sarna tells us: Independent minyanim are one of the most exciting and successful innovations in contemporary Jewish life.

By Marcos Gojman

Bibliography: Rabbi Elie Kaunfer: “Empowered Judaism” and other sources.