Small Doesn't Mean Weak

In this day and age, many have a sense that the larger something is, the better it is.  I am looking at Tifereth Israel and noticing that we definitely are not as large as we were 20, 30, or 40 years ago.  Yet, when I look at the quality of what we manage to accomplish, even with our small numbers, I believe we are not a weak congregation.  Let me give a few examples:

We provide opportunities for our members to gather for Shabbat every week.  Anyone who wants, will always find a Friday evening service and a Saturday morning service.  Some of our gatherings are unique.  We have met in congregant homes which increases the sense of community.  We have met at the zoo which drew young families and their children.  We have focused on our intergenerational membership which meant that our youngest to our oldest members could feel valued when they gathered for a Shabbat together.  Do all of our membership take advantage of our Shabbat gatherings?  Obviously not...but those who choose to be present are finding a sense of community that cannot be topped even in larger communities!

We provide opportunities for our members to celebrate the holy days at their appointed times.  Our High Holy Day services were enhanced by the use of our new machzor that so many of us donated.  We had a lovely gathering on Simchat Torah replete with much singing, dancing, and ice cream sundaes!  We are going to celebrate Chanukah in two ways this year...one at a home with a potluck dairy dinner on erev Shabbat...the other at the shul with latkes and a talent show.  Our Purim extravaganza which was so successful last year in a home setting will be repeated again this year and the next day we will gather for a !seudah at shul.  These are just some of the opportunities we have provided congregants.  Do all members take advantage of these gatherings?  Once again, no!  But those who do, feel enriched by the fact that they can join others who want to celebrate our sacred times together.

Several weeks ago, I wrote a grant to the USCJ (United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism) explaining why I believed they should choose our congregation for funding for the PJ Library program.  I explained our size and what we offer our members.  I also explained that we have several young families who are committed to trying to raise their children within a Jewish framework.  Some of our parents are intermarried, some are single parents, some are Jewish living with a Jewish spouse.  The one thing they all have in common, however, is striving to maintain a strong Jewish identity for their families.  We got the grant, not because the USCJ and PJ Library pitied us.  We got it because those two organizations recognized that even in a small community, Judaism can grow and thrive.  I am excited that our young families will now benefit by receiving monthly mailings of Jewish books to their homes.  I am excited that our board of directors was supportive of this opportunity.

We really do have Jewish opportunities for learning, praying, celebrating....all within our own framework.  We need not feel bad that we are small...we need to understand that small doesn't mean weak or failing.  It means that we are small!  I hope for a day when that might change, when those who choose not to take advantage of what we have to offer will venture forth and be part of our activities, but until that happens, I will feel proud of what we are accomplishing with those who choose to answer the call:  HINEINI.