This post is long in the making like most things I plan to do – that quickly become victims of procrastination. Things just hit a peak so I am sitting down to write this at a school b-ball game.
A renewed interest in Minhag Aschkenaz is emerging in the broader Jewish communities and Yekkes outside WH. It is manifested in various forms such as, in new minyanim in Lakewood and Passaic, a Kolel in Eretz with a very robust webpage (see icon above) and a thirst for research, three WhatsApp groups, a Google email by Professor Auman’s son in Israel, and several Facebook pages. I am not even mentioning my websites and social media among this, since I have very little minhag content on my site containing research or documentation.
The minyan in Lakewood already has a periodical, as does the Kollel in Israel. The Whatsapp groups feature regular posts of Minhag-related shiurim from the Monk’s Shul in London and by the Israel Kollel.
The Whatsapp group was begun by a Zurich IRG member living in England. While the content on that group is posted by admins only ( I am one, but rarely post), he has since opened a second group as an open forum. The chatter is constant and the group is slowly making its way through all the old topics – and some new ones. Some of it is minutiae and some of it is quite informative.
For many of us who carry the guilt of leaving the Heights upon our shoulders or the collective worry for its future, the question arises: Where does it all lead?
The main contribution among all of the chatter- in my opinion- is exposure to several communities abroad and the chance to learn a bit about them.
Is all the Minhag chatter minutia? I am not the one to say. I know that in every other community in Judaism today, there is an increased focus on Halacha and a mixing of cultures. People are even keeping other people’s Minahgim and Segulahs in our age of social media. Women in Teaneck are baking Challahs in the shape of a key, and people in Flatbush are flying to Uman. Should we not have a seat at the table?
There is rumbling this week about the possibility of opening an Aschkenaz minyan in Flatbush. So for all it is or isn’t, third-wave Aschkenaz is coming to a neighborhood near you!
schuster's hall 
coming to a neighborhood near you…….
first.. thanks for the irregular postings, always interesting. this one has evoked a response.
why the sudden interest..
my thoughts are two-fold:
a) so many of us have moved from our home communities for a variety of reasons. perhaps mostly because of the slow disintegration of the old neighborhoods, the need for larger living spaces, affluence of our individual members and the wish to live a more modern and house-oriented style.
b) perhaps a bit of guilt of having left behind the “Minhag Avoseinu”, a thousand years of tradition and what our immediate parents and grandparents practiced.
we have all become used to adapting, involuntarily, to an unfamiliar lifestyle leaving behind traditions rich in meaning and minhogim.
our mode of davening with our tunes, halachic adaptions of the siddur and piyutim and our wonderful style of Birchas Kohanim at first seem to belong to another era, a lifetime ago, And then, we suddenly realize that something is dying and ought not too.
I am hopeful that our minhag, style of life and traditions will revive itself in little communities all over the world. we are seeing a bit of this as we watch the interest in these shiurim, websites and tradition again take hold in our modern world.
with best regards,
Chag Kosher v’Sameach
Henry Lehmann
The Twig, Monsey, NY
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A good faith effort was attempted at this here in Baltimore. Obviously we had a Minhag Ashkenaz Glen Ave. Synagogue for 100 years that semi-supported the idea.
Regretfully, although a strong effort was made it sputtered out after about a year, as we/they were reduced to begging regular shul goers to help make the minyan.
Very personally, although I miss KAJ and all its minhogim terribly, it is more the lessons learned (you name it) that will lead us to Moshiach Tzidkainu.
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Regarding “the wish to live a more modern and house-oriented style”: There is nothing “modern” about private houses. As our planet fills up, multi-unit dwellings are the wave of the future!
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When writing an email, please include links to your various web sites and postings.
Se my comments as posted from email below
Thank you
HNL
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I question whether a shtibl-style minyan devoted to minhag ashkenaz has anything more than fringe value without the grandeur and gravitas of a large shul and a Hirschian “total Kehilla” behind it.
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im looking to join the Google email group and possibly one of the Whatsapp groups – how can I get in touch?
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