Congregation B'nai Israel is the place where my Jewish journey began. In so many ways, it has been a second home for my family. My sisters and I were bat/bar mitzvah'ed there. I said Kaddish for my father there every day for a year back in high school. My parents were active members and volunteers - at one point, my father was on the board and my mother was the Sisterhood President. The men and women who ran that place have always been a lot like extended Uncles and Aunts. As I grew up, I took on some fun and interesting Jewish jobs...I led the Junior Congregation for a time...and more recently, I've been the shofar blower.
Back in the day, I remember two overflowing sanctuaries on the High Holidays (we had to rent an extra Rabbi). There were babysitting services, and there was Junior Congregation and Shabbat for Tots. The Hebrew School had a music teacher that every class would visit once a week. There was a totally awesome Purim carnival and dancing on Simchat Torah.
But in these last years, the shul had become a shadow of itself. The congregation has been dwindling and the financials have been in deficit. My family established an award in my father's memory, to be given to a graduating Hebrew School student every year. Things have been so bad, that for the last two years, there were *no students* in the graduating class - so we could not present it. Many factors led to the decline...Fair Lawn's Jewish population has been steadily becoming more Orthodox (there are a LOT of Orthodox shuls in town now...at least 7 I think...) We have not been able to retain a Rabbi for more than a year or two - and sadly (I'm sorry gents if you're reading this), the last two were just not dynamic enough to attract young families. Years ago, B'nai Israel disassociated itself from the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism to save on dues - that was a mistake. B'nai Israel never switched over to become Egalitarian - that was a mistake. We never upgraded from the old Silverman siddurs, machzurs, and other religious books - again a mistake. And then there's just the competition factor - the other two Conservative shuls, Fair Lawn Jewish Center and Beth Shalom, had nicer buildings and more money.
When I heard that we were going to parade the Torahs from the old shul to the Fair Lawn Jewish Center building,
I was expecting a sad, depressing day. I suppose it was sad, but more than that, it was really quite moving and uplifting. Hundreds of people showed up at B'nai Israel (from BOTH shuls) around noon Sunday. We took the Torahs out of the ark - many congregants were each given keters and yads and other Torah accoutrements to carry. Beautiful white Chuppas and lace umbrellas were opened and one or the other was held over each Torah courier. A trumpet player played traditional Jewish wedding music - right from the beginning it was clear that I had misread the day; this was no funeral march; it was the marriage of two congregations. The police closed off streets - as the whole congregation followed our Torahs out the door, into the roadway, and around the block.Several of the people who ran the shul all these years, the Gabbis, Ritual chairs and officers climbed onto a flatbed truck, holding the Torahs - and a procession of cars followed them in a parade across town. The police estimated over a hundred cars participated...I can't even begin to guess at the number of people who showed up...So we arrived at our new shul. The Fair Lawn Jewish Center Torahs were taken out of their ark. There was dancing and singing...and suddenly there were no more CBI Torahs and FLJC Torahs - there were only "OUR" Torahs. Once they were put away, we heard some decent speeches by Rabbis and layleaders. Lots of FLJC people randomly approached CBI people to shake hands and say "welcome".
The President of the Fair Lawn Jewish Center Lenny Kaufmann announced "This morning our ark was half empty. Now it is full."
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