Jewish demographics in America, with the exception of a few major metropolitan areas, are such that identifying with a Jewish community has often involved a significant drive.
Growing up in upstate New York, there were a smattering of Jews in many of the small towns, but to belong to a synagogue meant traveling upwards of 20 miles to Massena. The desire to affiliate became even clearer when I served a congregation in Williamson, a small mining town in the southwestern corner of West Virginia. One family drove up a winding road from Pikeville, Kentucky. The road had so many switchbacks it could make one carsick just making the drive; and with no place to pass, God help you if you got caught behind a coal truck doing 10 MPH. Still, people wanting to identify with a Jewish community were willing to make the trip.
By contrast, those of us who live in the greater Nashua-Manchester metropolitan area are blessed with many choices. Within a 20-mile radius of Exit 7 on the Everett Turnpike, there are 5-URJ congregations to choose from. Many choose a congregation based on factors including, but not limited to, the religious school, the rabbi, the programming and the other members.
In our lives, most of us routinely get into our cars and drive considerable distances for our children to participate in sports, dancing, etc. Yet I am often amazed at how few of our members are willing to drive to Manchester for some of the excellent programming offered by the Jewish Federation of New Hampshire (JFNH). By virtue of their size and centrality to New Hampshire, the JFNH is a position to provide a quantity and quality of programming that is beyond the means of most of the individual congregations.
In Massena, NY and Williamson, WV people had to drive and when they got to their destination, there were minimal offerings. Here in New Hampshire, there are a lot of programs of Judaic interest, but to enjoy them, we need to redefine the paradigm: namely, it is OK to drive to one of the other synagogues or to the JFNH to take part in the Jewish programming that is available in New Hampshire.
Joshua L. Segal
Back to the Betenu Home Page