Why I Left the Synagogue

It is factually substantiated that fully one-half of all Jews no longer subscribe to the beliefs and practices of the Jewish religion, though they still identify themselves as Jews. As one of them, I left the synagogue of my family shortly after my Bar Mitzvah because I didn't see the words of our prayers lived out. The contrast between the intricate system of ritualized faith and the daily reality of social alienation was more than I could live with. So for many years I was a non-practicing Jew. I wrote poetry and dabbled in Eastern Religion while pursuing my own version of earthly happiness. But ultimately I found no fulfillment in any of it.

When I met the Twelve Tribes I saw the fruit. Over a period of years, I saw men, women, and children living out the words of the Old and New Testaments. What I saw was clearly beyond a mere belief system or intellectual concept. I saw a people who practiced what they preached, and were humble enough to admit it when they didn't. I saw there had to be a true spiritual source, a tree that was bearing all this good fruit.

- Sholom Reuben Lavin