When I first heard of the pool side Shabbat service and pot-luck dinner, I thought it was a pretty silly idea. But after going, I realized that it was not a "Yuppification" of Jewishness, but rather an example of forging a community and making Jewish life part of life in Singapore. And for young families in Singapore, early evening by the pool (if you are lucky enough to have one) provides a buffer of cool and calm after hot, hectic days. The addition of a Shabbat service and sharing a meal with friends helped to stretch those quiet moments into a real separation from the work week and isn�t that one of the basic meanings of the Sabbath?
In some ways, the fact that the United Hebrew Congregation has no physical home or full-time clergy is a hidden advantage. It means that the members of the congregation must bring the events normally associated with temple life (Shabbat and holiday celebrations, discussion groups, etc.) into their homes and into their lives. Of course, as with any congregation, there is a core of dedicated individuals who make these things happen, and communal life is disrupted by the transience of the expatriate population. But on balance, I think that the active members of UHC have a much stronger religious life than many people who put on and take off their Jewishness at the temple door.
-Diane Levy
