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Please don't bother to post to this thread if you are going to try to convince me that we should go to what ever fellowship we can find where someone teaching from the bible. Enough said. I'm going to whine..... and one of us doing it is quite enough for any one thread. 
My dh (Jewish) and I (Gentile) have been in the MJ for more than 16 years. We have attended 3 different local (within 50 miles) MJ shuls.
The very first shul we attended (for 10years) called itself "the most orthodox in the movement" because we had a Torah scroll and wore kippot and tzitzit tied to their belt loops when we all went to the local Denny's ordering bacon cheese burgers.
From the very beginning of our journey we were castigated for things like asking the waitress to leave the bacon off of our cheese burgers (during our beginning steps of kashrut). At every turn, as we grew more and more informed as to what G-d said in Torah and as we slowly added obedience step by small step for us, we were constantly berated for being too Jewish. We have been accused of "being so orthodox it's scary." The fact is that as much as we have grown and learned, we aren't even solidly decently conservative in our current level of observance, much less orthodox!! What is *scary* is that anyone in the MJ would think what we do is orthodox.
Our last shul we left because our personal observance was considered threatening to some in leadership and was indeed threatening to destroy the shul.
Admittedly it was partly because the Rabbi has stated that his vision is for a Torah observant synagogue. That is not, however, the vision of those he has chosen for elders. For the elders, and those who agree with them, keeping traditionally kosher or practicing family purity or really keeping the Shabbat are antithetical to "the spirit" and the NT. (We) have been set free from that according to them. And those who hold this view also provide the majority of the financial support of the synagogue. And many of those repeatedly threatened to leave the shul if we continued.
Weekly, at least, we heard from the Rabbi/Rebbitzen that someone was complaining about our practice and the level of our participation in Shabbat Beit Midrash where we maintained that if our shul had the vision of growing in Torah observance then they should teach and encourage those who willingly picked up the mantel of Torah.
This same Rabbi/Rebbitzen placed us as teachers of observance: dh as Gabbi, me as the authority in creating and keeping the kitchen kosher positions we did not seek but willingly administered.
We also held that, while everyone certainly could keep what ever level of observance or non-observance in their homes, the shul should have a kosher kitchen and all food that came in should be kosher so that who ever came into our shul could eat and fellowship with us without concern. If you keep kosher in the shul everyone can partake, if you don't then you are excluding numerous people. Also the kosher kitchen as shul is where those interested in learning to keep kosher can see it in operation and be encouraged to ask questions and learn.
While they "got used to it" the fact that neither my husband nor I hugged or shook hands with the opposite sex was considered my some to be elitist rather than obedient.
Now, we are without fellowship on an interpersonal one on one basis. I have this MB and a very few other outlets, but we have none locally. For us to attend either of the local MJ shuls means we must forsake Torah observance while in the shul. For us to attend any of the non-MJ shuls we must reject Yeshua as the Jewish community here is hyper-aware of the MJs and extremely resistant to having any attend their congregations. So at the least we would have to be vigilant and avoid all references to Yeshua or the K'tuvim N'tzarim.
So, we could move, IF we could find a truly observant MJ community or we could find an orthodox or conservative community that would not reject us. But that is out of the question right now as we have 2-6 yars of legal constraint that prevents our moving out of the area.
I have to admit that without the support and encouragement of at least a few others we have found our observance flagging in some areas. This distresses us and causes deep feelings of dissonance.
We also find ourselves despairing of the growth and survival of MJ as a viable Jewish expression of service to G-d but that it is destined to just be just another Bresslers flavor. I am full to the gills of milk, sour, sweet and frozen or otherwise. We hunger for meat. And loving supportive fellowship and worship.
Whining halted.
Ignoring this diatribe might be the healthiest thing you could do........
My dh (Jewish) and I (Gentile) have been in the MJ for more than 16 years. We have attended 3 different local (within 50 miles) MJ shuls.
The very first shul we attended (for 10years) called itself "the most orthodox in the movement" because we had a Torah scroll and wore kippot and tzitzit tied to their belt loops when we all went to the local Denny's ordering bacon cheese burgers.
From the very beginning of our journey we were castigated for things like asking the waitress to leave the bacon off of our cheese burgers (during our beginning steps of kashrut). At every turn, as we grew more and more informed as to what G-d said in Torah and as we slowly added obedience step by small step for us, we were constantly berated for being too Jewish. We have been accused of "being so orthodox it's scary." The fact is that as much as we have grown and learned, we aren't even solidly decently conservative in our current level of observance, much less orthodox!! What is *scary* is that anyone in the MJ would think what we do is orthodox.
Our last shul we left because our personal observance was considered threatening to some in leadership and was indeed threatening to destroy the shul.
Admittedly it was partly because the Rabbi has stated that his vision is for a Torah observant synagogue. That is not, however, the vision of those he has chosen for elders. For the elders, and those who agree with them, keeping traditionally kosher or practicing family purity or really keeping the Shabbat are antithetical to "the spirit" and the NT. (We) have been set free from that according to them. And those who hold this view also provide the majority of the financial support of the synagogue. And many of those repeatedly threatened to leave the shul if we continued.
Weekly, at least, we heard from the Rabbi/Rebbitzen that someone was complaining about our practice and the level of our participation in Shabbat Beit Midrash where we maintained that if our shul had the vision of growing in Torah observance then they should teach and encourage those who willingly picked up the mantel of Torah.
This same Rabbi/Rebbitzen placed us as teachers of observance: dh as Gabbi, me as the authority in creating and keeping the kitchen kosher positions we did not seek but willingly administered.
We also held that, while everyone certainly could keep what ever level of observance or non-observance in their homes, the shul should have a kosher kitchen and all food that came in should be kosher so that who ever came into our shul could eat and fellowship with us without concern. If you keep kosher in the shul everyone can partake, if you don't then you are excluding numerous people. Also the kosher kitchen as shul is where those interested in learning to keep kosher can see it in operation and be encouraged to ask questions and learn.
While they "got used to it" the fact that neither my husband nor I hugged or shook hands with the opposite sex was considered my some to be elitist rather than obedient.
Now, we are without fellowship on an interpersonal one on one basis. I have this MB and a very few other outlets, but we have none locally. For us to attend either of the local MJ shuls means we must forsake Torah observance while in the shul. For us to attend any of the non-MJ shuls we must reject Yeshua as the Jewish community here is hyper-aware of the MJs and extremely resistant to having any attend their congregations. So at the least we would have to be vigilant and avoid all references to Yeshua or the K'tuvim N'tzarim.
So, we could move, IF we could find a truly observant MJ community or we could find an orthodox or conservative community that would not reject us. But that is out of the question right now as we have 2-6 yars of legal constraint that prevents our moving out of the area.
I have to admit that without the support and encouragement of at least a few others we have found our observance flagging in some areas. This distresses us and causes deep feelings of dissonance.
We also find ourselves despairing of the growth and survival of MJ as a viable Jewish expression of service to G-d but that it is destined to just be just another Bresslers flavor. I am full to the gills of milk, sour, sweet and frozen or otherwise. We hunger for meat. And loving supportive fellowship and worship.
Whining halted.
Ignoring this diatribe might be the healthiest thing you could do........
