Kiddush Club Is Not the Problem

“We need to leave the Kiddush club in place.”

Those weren’t the exact words I used, but it was the message I conveyed to the president of my shul, who wanted to shut down the Kiddush club. I was a placeholder — interim rabbi was my exact title — while the shul was searching for a new rabbi. I had a slim chance of getting the job and figured there was nothing to lose. Was I trying to curry votes? Hard to believe, as a vote would be lost for every vote gained. Maybe I was just an inexperienced 27-year-old who was out of his depth.

Shuls have been fighting over Kiddush clubs for as long as they have existed, and our shul was no exception. In 2005, the Orthodox Union called on its more than 1,000 member congregations to eliminate Kiddush clubs as a way of combatting the growing issue of substance abuse in Orthodox Jewish communities. Some shuls complied, others did not. Amudim, an organization that is on the front lines of fighting all forms of abuse in the Orthodox Jewish community, made the same point recently in a dramatic video depicting the horrible impact of Kiddush clubs on children.

Substance abuse is a real and growing issue, not only in Orthodox Jewish communities, but across the country. We do ourselves a disservice when we say that Kiddush clubs are the problem, as it obscures the fact that substance abuse is part of a national trend and prevents us from learning from national findings and recommendations. Additionally, the excessive drinking in frum society is not limited to men taking a break during shul, as it does not only take place in shul, nor is it limited to men. I felt then and still feel today that taking a break during davening for a l’chayim is far from ideal, but shutting down the Kiddush club would be only an illusory victory against a problem that is in reality far more insidious.

Somehow, I did become the rabbi. Now the Kiddush club was my problem.