Leafing through the booklet, an impressive, thirty-two page rundown of dignitaries, educators, politicians, diplomats, authors and performers, I found myself wondering: is this Orthodox?
Let me be clear: in no way am I questioning the halachic validity of the mechitzah, the rabbis, the davening, or anything ritualistic about the shul. I'm wondering about the programming.
Let's leave aside the interfaith dialogue during which clegry of other religions visit and speak.
What about the lecture given by Cokie and Steve Roberts about their book, "Our Hagaddah: Uniting Traditions for Interfaith Families"? Is it really appropriate for an Orthodox shul to invite speakers that overtly encourage intermarriage, and finding rituals that speak to those families? (That question was rhetorical. I say no.)

What about the September 3rd concert featuring The National Yiddish Theater-Folksbiene presents “Rising Stars of the Yiddish Stage”. I'm pretty sure that kol isha is still on the books. Is it appropriate for a shul to publicly ignore an explicit halachah.
You could argue, "Well, you're not a member there, an no one's asked you to join." True - but I was, for some reason, emailed the brochure. Are they a member of the OU? They certainly appear on the OU website, but I can't say for certain whether they're officially a member.
So why even ask the question?
I ask because the Hampton Synagogue proudly calls itself "Modern Orthodox". I also call myself "Modern Orthodox". If we're going to call ourselves the same thing, it stands to wonder whether we actually represent the same ideals.
I ask because other shuls (and their members) see a "Modern Orthodox" shul running certain types of programs and wonder: "Hey rabbi, why can't we do that too?"
Without a doubt, the HS promotes the study of Torah. It caters to a clientelle that demands a certain standard of programming. Many of the programs offered in the brochure are excellent and exciting. But I cannot understand why a shul that calls itself Orthodox feels the need to run programs that simply counter the values and rules of Jewish law. How is that Orthodox? Why is it necessary? Do we really need to go back to the days of the Pre-Selichot Dinner-Dance"? Could they not have found other films or groups or programs that promote traditional Jewish values and adhere to halachah? Of course they could - just look at the rest of the program.
Finally, what does this brochure - and it's programs - say about Modern Orthodoxy, and how other Jews relate to it?
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