I hope Tzipporah had a good experience, and has found a warm and welcoming community.
If not, she should try another. Tonight we had as many visitors as congregants. Jews seeking solace and community.
I live in western NC, and there are a surprising number of Jews in the area, several synagogues and secular Jewish organizations, and a Jewish community center. We are generally happy to meet and welcome other Jews, and those interested in Judaism. We are still a small number.
I'm quite active in my synagogue, which is in Asheville, 35 minutes from my house. There's one closer to me that my parents belonged to for many years. I moved here 20 years ago after my father died, and I'd attend services with mom sometimes. After she died in 2016, I attended weekly for a year to say kaddish for her, and I made a good friend. I attended for another year, but I felt it wasn't the right synagogue for me.
I must share some background information here
1) tfg was elected in 2016, and as I was saying kaddish I decided to embrace my Judaism at that time, especially because I knew he was a white nationalist racist bigot antisemite. I told my (Jewish) employers I would no longer be available to work on Saturdays because I wanted to observe Shabbat. I work part-time retail and had worked on Saturdays since 2003.
2) I have a strong and strange Jewish background. My parents were reform Jews, but kept a kosher home because my dad's family did and it was expected. His mom died shortly before they married, but everything had been bought and planned for a kosher home. His older brother attended and sent his kids to a conservative synagogue, the one my grandparents had belonged to. When I turned 5 my uncle told my dad "you better give that child a Jewish education and send her to Hebrew school!" So my parents joined a nearby reform temple and sent me to Hebrew school at a young age. I loved it, and when the Rabbi encouraged us to attend services I wanted to go, but my parents didn't want to attend. So I went by myself, starting at age 6, often meeting and walking with friends families, but often on my own. I went every Saturday, when reform Jews still had services Saturday morning, and I went to Sunday school ,and Hebrew school 2 days a week after school. I wanted to be a bat mitzvah, which was becoming more common, but my parents weren't inclined. I argued with them until they finally agreed After that I wanted to keep studying and got a scholarship to study at the Hebrew high school (connected to my uncle's shul) after regular high school, and started attending young people's services there, and I loved it. The English prayers I'd heard throughout my childhood were relearned in Hebrew with wonderful melodies.
And that brings me to why I went looking for a different synagogue from the one near me.
The reform liturgy and songs are meaningful and inspirational , but made me long for the liturgy I'd loved and left behind. For many years I called myself a judeo christian pagan, but I was always a Jew. For me it was about the prayer, since I knew and loved the Hebrew liturgy I learned after my bat mitzvah, and I've since learned to chant Torah and lead parts of the service. For others it's about having a place to celebrate the holidays, or connect with other Jews (through any number of activities), to learn and discuss, to do social justice and tikkun olam projects (repairing the world).
One of our members recently sent an email out to our congregation recruiting for the NC Democratic Party Jewish Caucus, which is forming and will meet this week. I mention that because this is DU, and you mentioned your kid is in NC, and I wanted to share that piece of positive news. I spent the afternoon preparing food for our Kiddush luncheon tomorrow, and stayed to attend the Shabbat supper tonight. I got home late, needed to unwind, went on line and saw your post. It warmed my heart. Hasn't been much posted in this forum lately.
Again, Shabbat Shalom.
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