I’ve been thinking lately about Jewish life on the margins. Those Jewish communities, like ours, outside of or on the periphery of larger Jewish population centers like Toronto, New York, Los Angeles. The kinds of towns and cities where, when you say you’re from there, or that there’s a synagogue in that place, people respond with, “Wow, I didn’t know there was a Jewish community there!” or “How many Jews live there??” As a rabbi, I’ve had the honour of serving Jewish communities beyond the epicentres of Jewish life – Spokane, WA, Great Falls, MT, Singapore, and of course, our community here in Waterloo. Jewish life is just as vibrant – and sometimes even more so – beyond the reach of Federations with multimillion dollar budgets, and communities with a robust infrastructure of buildings, professionals, and programming. This is a truth we know deeply in KW – Jewish life here rests on the shoulders of generations of committed volunteers who pour their hearts into building this community and ensuring that a Jewish presence – and a progressive Jewish presence! – exists.
Last weekend, a horrifying antisemitic hate crime took place in Jackson, Mississippi. Beth Israel Congregation, a Reform synagogue and the largest synagogue in Mississippi and the only one in Jackson, was badly damaged in an arson attack. The congregation has about 150 member families, and at its peak 15 years ago, the Jewish population of Jackson was about 600. But Jackson, and Beth Israel Congregation, have long functioned as a hub for Jewish life in the American South, as the home for the Institute for Southern Jewish Life, which supports small Jewish communities all over the southern US. Jewish life (and sadly, in these times, antisemitism and hate) is not limited to the places where we “expect” Jews to live. Beth Israel Congregation is embarking on a difficult path of rebuilding its synagogue, and healing from the trauma and grief of the attack.
Last week, before the fire, Joe Roberts, a Jewish professional in yet another Jewish community on the periphery, Tulsa, Oklahoma, wrote powerfully about how Judaism’s future in North America is not limited to large Jewish population centers in big coastal cities. What he describes in his community sounds very familiar! “These communities are not helpless, and they are not waiting to be rescued. Generations of Jews have poured their sweat, their tears, and their philanthropy into making sure there would be something here for their children to inherit. They built buildings and balance sheets, but also habits of showing up for minyan, for committee meetings, for carpool, for shiva.” Roberts puts forth a powerful vision for Jewish life in smaller communities, where communal continuity rests not on inertia, but on intent. “The map of Jewish resilience cannot be reduced to a few major metros and a nostalgic belief that they will always carry the rest.”
This is the holy work that we are engaged in at Temple Shalom. We are building a distinct Jewish community, healthy and vibrant for the next generation of Jewish families seeking a place for Tot Shabbat, a religious school for their kids, a place to come on Shabbat to get a break from the week, Jewish friends with whom to celebrate holidays. You are each a part of this important project, and in smaller communities, every single person’s presence counts. Thank you for being part of our community.
