‘You feel our history when you walk in our sanctuary.’
That’s what Francine Schreiber Reynolds told me when I spoke with her recently about her longtime involvement in Congregation B’er Chayim in Cumberland, Maryland. Indeed, the synagogue is one of the 10 oldest to be continuously used in the United States. Francine and fellow congregant Debbie Lang are part of this cherished history – they both moved to the area in the early ’90s – and are also part of its vibrant present and future.
Their experiences reflect the beauty of small-town Jewish communities scattered around the country. Both Schreiber Reynolds and Lang had to adjust their “affiliation sensibilities” when they moved to Cumberland, having both grown up and been involved in congregations that were not Reform. But in small town Jewish communities, adapting and adjusting is par for the course. It’s partly what brings together people with different backgrounds, perspectives, and personalities – serving as a model for all of us during these polarizing times.
They both grew to love to their community, which Debbie says is like a family, and became integrally involved. They’ve each held numerous positions on the congregation board. As full-time clergy has been sporadic over the years, they’ve often led services. The congregation paid for some congregants to take the Center for Small Town Jewish Life’s Shlichei Tzibur Training Program to learn how to lead them.
Along with fellow members, Schreiber Reynolds and Lang make it possible for Cumberland Jews and those from surrounding communities to have a Jewish communal home. They were thrilled to host 47 people at their recent second day seder.
They are voluntarily doing the vital on-the-ground work that ensures Jewish life and support is accessible to all. It’s what we all should commit to: that every Jewish child has access to a Jewish education; that every Jew has guidance toward joy and meaning in their tradition; that very sick individuals in our community find comfort; and that everyone who dies has a rabbi to bury them if they desire.
Finding ways to include Jews living in small, rural, remote communities
Our faith should compel us to care for everyone. Beyond the spiritual, there is a practical concern. When Jews living in small, rural, and remote communities don’t feel connected to the larger community, they are often left with a worrying sense of alienation.
Research shows there is a clear correlation between those who have organized against Jewish institutions and those who have been traditionally disconnected and alienated from them. We must do better.
At the Center for Small Town Jewish Life at Colby College, we connect and nurture Jewish communities located outside of major metropolitan areas. We strengthen, equip, and connect leaders in small-town communities through academic instruction, pastoral care, and civic engagement.
Our network of small-town Jewish communities provides mutual support for small-town, sustainable leadership. We teach inspirational Torah, the fundamentals of communal leadership, and the “how tos” of congregational management to help professionals and laity succeed in a small-town context. Finally, we support and instruct these leaders as they put all of these skills into practice to transform their Jewish institutions and broader communities.
Both Schreiber Reynolds and Lang have long been a part of the center’s various leadership development programs and network. There are thousands of people like them around the country, deeply committed to their Jewish community, wearing many hats over the years, who deserve our support. They are better resourced and feel less isolated when they know they are part of something bigger. When they are able to share the challenges of small-town Jewish life with others in similar situations, they experience the full strength of Klal Yisrael, inspiring and elevating their work.
The power and purpose of our tradition is breathing new life into these smaller communities. We hope that Jewish communities, large and small, join our journey, ensuring that every soul thirsting for Torah is served with skill, care, and commitment.
The writer, a rabbi, is founder and executive director of the Center for Small Town Jewish Life at Colby College in Maine. The center cultivates locally rooted, vibrant, connected, socially equitable learning communities steeped in the Jewish tradition and intertwined with the broader Jewish world.