Monday night, we begin the holiday of Purim, the day when Mordecai and Esther triumphed over the wicked Haman. I hope you will hear the reading of the Megillat Esther and celebrate. To learn more about Purim happenings (and there are plenty of celebrations) in our community, please click here.

One fun post-Purim event is to join the Jewish and Hindu communities on March 8 for our 3rd annual Purim-Holi celebration. The event includes hamantaschen, Holi colors, and fun for people of all ages. Register here.

Jews play ice hockey? Congratulations to both the United States Men’s and Women’s Ice Hockey teams on their gold medal victories. I was actually on a plane ride streaming the men’s game with people all around trying to watch. When the US men’s team scored the winning goal in overtime, the plane erupted in cheers. The win happened on the 46th anniversary of the famous “Miracle on Ice” upset of the Soviet Union in 1980.

As you know, a nice Jewish boy, Jack Hughes, with a lost and cracked tooth minutes earlier (always wear a mouthguard!), scored the “golden goal.” As others have reported, Hughes is the first player in hockey history to have a bar mitzvah and a golden goal.

There were three Jewish players (out of 25) on the men’s team: Jack, his older brother, Quinn, and Jeremy Swayman. There were three Jewish women who competed in women’s hockey, including Aerin Frankel, the gold medal-winning goalie for the United States women’s ice hockey team (FYI -- Jack Hughes’ mother, Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, was a coach on that team). Also, Kayle Osborne played for Canada and Jacquie Pierri played for Italy.

I am a regular reader of Ryan Burge’s Substack titled "Graphs About Religion," a data-driven newsletter that analyzes the intersection of faith, politics, and sociology in the United States. Burge is a professor of practice at the Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis.

Many have written about the “great unchurching," the fastest religious transformation in modern history. And while the term sounds Christian, the reality also impacts the Jewish community. For generations, Jewish identity in America was assumed to be tied to an institution -- a synagogue, a denomination, a JCC, or a Jewish Federation. People “belonged” somewhere, or you were on your way to “belonging.” Identity was linked to a building, a membership card, a specific address.

Across the country, that concept is fading. Here in Portland, we continue to buck the trends and seem to be relatively stable. We have a vibrant, committed core. But that core is far too small based on data from our own community study two years ago. We need to prepare for a potential new reality.

Burge’s research is focused on those who refer to their religious affiliation as “none.” These people, about 31% of the overall population (the number is the same for both those who identify as Christian and for those who identify as Jewish), fall into four distinct categories, each with its own story, and each with profound implications for how we think about Jewish community, belonging, and meaning.

The first group, "Nones in Name Only" (NiNos). They make up about 21% of the non-religious population. Interestingly, many of them are actually quite religious. They believe in God, they pray, they have spiritual lives. However, there is a disconnect between their personal faith and our formal institutional structures.

The second group is the "Spiritual But Not Religious" (SBNRs). This is the largest of the four groups at 36%. These are the seekers. They find meaning in yoga, meditation, nature, and art. They want connection, transcendence, and purpose, but not necessarily organizational membership or obligation. They want the feeling of connection without the obligation of dues.

The third group are the "Zealous Atheists," relatively small at 11%. They are actively opposed to religion. Interestingly, this group scores lower on measures like life satisfaction, optimism, and self-worth.

Finally, there are the "Dones." This group, 32% of the Nones, may be the most challenging. They are not angry. They are not searching. They do not pray, do not attend services, and do not believe in God. Yet they report high levels of life satisfaction. These are people, mostly over age 65, who participated in religious life at some point and have decided that organized religious life is no longer for them.

Do these types of people sound familiar? And why does this matter?

Here is the hard truth: If we continue to build Jewish life primarily around our current institutional model -- membership, physical buildings, dues, and fundraisers -- we will struggle to reach these people. We cannot "outreach" a "Done" who has made a conscious choice to leave. We cannot attract a "Seeker" with a membership form and dues. People want more "on-ramps" that are low-barrier and high-meaning.

We live in a unique part of the country, the Pacific Northwest, which fosters independence and perhaps skepticism of formal institutions. It is safe to assume that the percentage of "Nones" in Oregon is likely even higher than the national average. Moreover, our Jewish community likely has a higher concentration of "Spiritual But Not Religious" (SBNR) Jews than almost anywhere else in the country.

For Greater Portland, the takeaway is clear -- the status quo is not enough. Yes, our core institutions are strong, and for that, I am grateful. But if we want to ensure the next generation of vibrant Jewish life here, we have to stop expecting people to walk through our doors as they are. We have to open the doors wider, or better yet, take the doors off the hinges or get out of the buildings entirely. Chabad has demonstrated this model around the world.

With all of this, I am incredibly optimistic. Why? Because we are already on that path. We are meeting people where they are. We are incentivizing Jewish gatherings. We are redefining what it means to belong. We have creative community leaders. And, I know our core institutions -- synagogues, day schools, camps, and others are focused on these opportunities.

In Portland, we have always been pioneers. We do things a little differently here. This "Great Unchurching" is not a threat to us – it is an invitation to do what Portlanders do best -- innovate, experiment, and build on a Jewish community that is authentic, inclusive, and deeply meaningful.

Shabbat Shalom and chag Purim sameach.