Jewishly by Susan Rosenberg Jones

I am Jewish by birth. I was raised in the reform - or progressive - movement.
As a young adult, I felt no need for religion, and it wasn’t until my daughter was about five that I felt the pull toward Jewish affiliation. After some research, I joined a small reform synagogue in Greenwich Village called the Village Temple. Years later, we maintain our membership and are active in the community.

Why do Jewish people who consider themselves liberal and open minded continue to join congregations and prioritize leading life publicly as Jews, given the general turning away from organized religion? Do Jews who consider themselves “cultural Jews” or even “secular Jews” think it’s important to identify as Jews in the greater world? And if so, what does that identification look like?

With this body of work, Jewishly, I focus on my own temple community. In addition to examining my own ties to Jewish practice and the temple, I photograph members of the congregation at home and at the temple and include verbatim comments from my sitters.

Tallit

I’m not religious at all, but there are certain times when I feel something like prayer. A few years ago, I purchased a tallit and wore it during Yom Kippur. I also wore it on Rosh Hashanah morning. The tallit, which is essentially a prayer shawl, can be a powerful piece of cloth that for me, is sometimes transformative.

Sanctuary

The sanctuary is the beating heart of the temple. Religious services are held here, as well as congregational meetings, lectures, B’nai mitzvot, and funeral services. When I was co-president, I spoke from the bimah on many occasions. Now that I’m off the board I can relax and sit in the back if I feel like it. During services we’re encouraged to meet new people and I enjoy getting to know them.

Many of the regular shabbat service attendees are friends of mine in my age group, but there are younger members who are very involved in the life of the community. Through this photo project, I’m enjoying hearing their thoughts on Jewish life in the city.

Fred and Eileen

I have made several good friends at the temple. Fred and Eileen, for example. They are both warm, kind people. Fred was working at the World Trade Center on 9/11. He saved a man’s life, helping another man down the many flights of stairs before they barely escaped the falling tower. Eileen likes to laugh, has many talents and is thoughtful and curious. I asked them why they have chosen to lead a Jewish life:

Fred- It’s my tradition, my upbringing. Basically, I was raised that way. I would slight my ancestry if I didn't do it, because I was very close to my grandparents, who brought me up that way.

Eileen- And I would answer that we are Jews. And maybe because when we lived in Massachusetts, we were not part of an extensive Jewish community. We recognize our identity as Jewish. Not necessarily very observant in a religious sense, but we are Jewish. And we want to be part of a Jewish community, however you define that.

Shabbat Shalom

As Jews, we’re commanded to light the Shabbat candles every Friday night. I enjoy Friday night services when someone lights the candles, but I hardly ever light them at home. When I do light them, I use a set of candlesticks that have been in my family for a very long time. There’s an old sepia toned photograph that appears to be from the turn of the 20th century, judging by the clothing the people are wearing. They’re seated at a table, upon which stand these very candlesticks. I can’t tell whether it’s in Europe or the United States. And I can’t really tell whose side of the family is represented in the picture.

Heather, Stella, Bryce

I had seen this family at the temple but hadn’t interacted with them. People tend to stick to their own sub-communities within the community: older people, people with young kids, parents of teens. Singles tend to socialize within their age groups. This family was a delight to get to know. Heather is a makeup artist for tv and film, and Bryce is a NYC public school teacher. Stella is a great kid too. My late husband was Black, and I relate to them on that level too, as an interracial family. My daughter grew up at the temple and participated in lots of activities there.

I asked Bryce if he still feels part of the Jewish community, given that he’s not Jewish and didn’t convert:

Yes. I feel like a member of the community only because I attend a lot of different events. In other experiences with other temples, we have had experiences like that, where they're very, very rigid - you either are or you aren't. It's a very binary outlook towards religion. Whereas I like the Village Temple because there's not a huge pressure where you need to convert.

I do attend Shabbat services somewhat regularly. Not as often as most, but I do attend them. We celebrate the high holidays; we do things like that. I've done the Haggadah at our house before. I think our experience with Judaism is very organic. It's not as if we’re doing it as a novelty. We do take it very seriously, but we also understand that we celebrate it and do it in a way that's best for our family.

Ilsa

Ilsa and her sister Lisa - and their husbands - have become good friends through the temple. The sisters are close and are very involved with the work of the Leon and Marilyn Klinghoffer Memorial Foundation of the Anti-Defamation League. Ilsa is a retired hospital administrator and probably has played at every pickleball court in the city. She has a big heart.

I asked her about her personal experience with antisemitism:

When I was a child, my mother would tell us a story about the antisemitism she endured growing up in East Orange, New Jersey, and how she was called a dirty Jew at school. And how it made her feel. To the point where it was drummed into my head and my sister's head. Growing up in Greenwich Village, I never really experienced much antisemitism, honestly, until a tragedy happened. My father was murdered by Palestinian terrorists in 1985 while on the Achille Lauro cruise ship. He was murdered and thrown into the sea because he was Jewish, because he was disabled. It was an incredibly horrific time for us. That's the kind of antisemitism and hatred I've experienced.

Hanukkah Party

Every year at Hanukkah the temple throws a party in the social hall, aptly called “Vodka and Latkes”. The vodka is flowing, and potato latkes are served with all the accoutrements. Food is very important to us Jews! This party always draws a lot of us - the kids are entertained in other rooms with pizza and games.

Here, Ilsa is handing out latkes and Bryce is a happy recipient.

Sanctuary Foyer

The entrance to the sanctuary is where one can pick up a tallit to wear for prayer, or a kippa (skullcap or yarmulke). There’s a tree of life wall installation where members honor loved ones. There’s also a couple of plaques listing the past presidents of the temple. I’m on that list - it was in the early 2000’s where I was co-president. My co-president and I were a good team as she was skilled at financial matters and I at community outreach. A few years later, there was an upheaval at the temple where the board decided not to renew the rabbi’s contract. My co-president and I were on opposite sides of the debate. Everything eventually worked out - with a lot of healing and hard work - and the temple is the fully functioning Jewish community center it was meant to be. Unfortunately, though, my friendship with my co-president didn’t survive.

Nelly

Nelly is a retired ob-gyn physician and is active in the temple’s social action committee. She was born and raised in Chile and came to NYC with her late husband, also a physician, in the early 70’s. She and her partner Arthur are well loved and respected members of the community.

I asked Nelly what motivated her to join the temple:

At some point it became important for me to become a member of the temple. At the beginning, it was kind of tentative, you know, I went to some of the events. I liked the services, and the emphasis on social action. All of that resonated with me. I had had those values before. But I never called them Jewish, you know? We’re not the only ones.

But then it's the people, also. It's the combination of what the temple offers and the people. Then you become making friends. And it's part of your life. I met my partner Arthur in 2012 and he started coming with me to services. Eventually, he joined the community and it’s enriched our life together.

I don't consider myself religious. But I love the prayers. I love the melodies. I love the songs. Many of them are the songs that my family sang. They really touch my emotions. Sometimes I want to cry. I think that if you dig deeper, everybody has a need of belonging to something a little bigger than your own family. And, for me it's the Jewish community.

Social Hall

The social hall is the family room of the temple. We have celebrations, lectures, dinners, art exhibits, meetings, and classes here. It’s a room that is associated with good feeling. Many connections happen here.

Deck the Halls

When I was growing up in Boston, I was one of a few Jewish kids at public elementary school. Christmas and Easter were big deals in the classroom: Christmas carol singing, tree ornament making, and Easter baskets. It was practically impossible to be a Jewish kid and not pine for a tree (pun intended) and presents. Educators today are more inclusive regarding religious holidays and symbols, but the American zeitgeist still treats Christmas as a general holiday for everyone. This sweatshirt says it all for me. Yes, it’s funny - but made me think.

Rachel
I’ve seen Rachel and David at temple over the years and distinctly remember when their 18-year-old daughter was a newborn and I photographed them at their baby naming. Their daughters are now 18 and 15. It’s been great to see the Social Action Committee become more of a force at the temple; I believe Rachel has had a lot to with that.
I asked Rachel what are the things that keep her engaged in temple activities:

I think that it starts from the top and from the tone and the mission, the vision that the Rabbi, as a leader, has for the congregation. The rituals, the prayers, the sermons, all of that is one of the main reasons why we're there. And we want to learn and practice so that we can then share it with our extended family and our kids. I think that's a big part of it. I'm not sure if I would've answered that, prior to October 7th. I don't know if I would've given you that same answer. But I do think now that it is important.

I think the Social Action Committee is important to me because of my history with the congregation. One of the things that drew us to the Village Temple was this spirit of education, and awareness of being a little bit political, because previous rabbis have been. I think there are still many people in the congregation who have a need to see that as part of their synagogue experience. Particularly during Covid, I became more involved. And not just Covid, but also like the Trump years. It was a way to channel energy and get involved, in a way. And so, you know, it's just continued. And it changed form a little bit, I guess. But that's sort of what drew me in. And now as I've developed relationships with people on the committee, there's really an eagerness to do more. As I say, we try to create our own little community within the big community. It's a very nice group of people. I have the time now to do that, and I'm happy to do it.

Alan and Barbara
Over the years I’ve had pleasant interactions with Alan and Barbara, but we never got together socially. Recently, I have come to know Barbara a bit as we both take tap dance lessons. It was stimulating to talk with them about life at the temple and general Jewish issues. Barbara is not Jewish and never converted. However, she has served on the board and is an active part of the community. They have two grown daughters.
I asked them if they see a future for liberal Jewish life:
Barbara:
I think it's a little challenging today because, well, you're a past president, so I don't have to tell you about how difficult it is to have a brick-and-mortar place, especially post Covid. And if you live in a big city like New York, there's so many competing things. Why does someone need to be a member of a temple? You know, why? And I don't really know what that will mean for liberal progressive Jews.

Alan:
We hope that when our children have children, if they do have children, that they'll come back to the fold the way we did in that sense. But there's no guarantee. And, you know, intermarriage becomes even a bigger issue at that point. Not everyone is like Barbara who's going to embrace the community and become so identified with the temple and its commitments. Liberal Jews are the ones who are the most likely to intermarry.
I think whether you believe or don't believe, I think people will go through their lives wanting to know if this is all there is. Even if they're not religious, there may be moments when they're in the temple where the music or the community or something they read, may give them some kind of comfort. Whether they identify that as a religious slash spiritual experience, I don't know. People come back They may not be conscious of why they come back or what the temple offers them. Maybe it's the fact that, you know, when you were a child, you heard these prayers and, and, and you heard these blessings, and they're part of your DNA or they become part of your DNA if you hear it enough. But I think that human beings have had religious relationships through the dawn of history, or even pre-history, whether they worshipped fire or the weather. So, there's something out there that's part of human experience. Is it going to be Judaism or reform Judaism in the future? I'm not going to be here for that level of the future, you know?

Yahrzeit
On the anniversary of a loved one’s death - “yahrzeit” in Yiddish, Jewish people light a memorial candle which burns for 24 hours. My mother died 20 something years ago. The candle helps me remember her.

Susan Rosenberg Jones

Also by Susan Rosenberg Jones —

Widowed

Grappling with Uncertain Times

Second Time Around

Beach Scenes

Safe Haven

Building 1