Rock the Synagogue

I had my first experience inside a synagogue this weekend. It started with a beautiful and meditative group chant to end the Shabbat, ended with a beautiful Middle Eastern sounding melody that I didn't even know a guitar could make, and somewhere in between we all rocked to "Little Pink Houses" by John Cougar Mellencamp. I'm not making this up. In my head, a synagogue had a specific look. Like a small candlelit cellar, damp and cool, with hard, wooden benches and solitude. I don't really know why this was in my head, I don't have any real reason for making up a synagogue story in my mind. I was really wrong, by the way. It looked like a church. Like an average Methodist, maybe a little Baptist, throw in a Lutheran minus the kneelin' benches. One big difference however. The pew cushions were amazing. They were cotton candy pink and even softer. It felt like sitting on a cloud. Or maybe it was just all the great music. I have to say, my first synagogue experience was pretty cool. I don't know if I want to go back for a regular service though. It just might not be the same without Mellencamp.