Rebbetzin Rachel and her friend Lisa, who hosted us for Shabbos
We spent Shabbat in Richmond, Virginia. This was my second time there. My first time in Richmond was around a year ago for Shabbat Selichot, the Shabbat before Rosh Hashana. I led the service than and over this past Shabbat.
I feel the community is very warm and welcoming. There seems to be a good mix of all types of Jews, from the ultra orthodox black hat wearers to some who come to Synagogue in a pair of shorts and sandals.
There is no Rabbi there now, though I hear that a new Rabbi is coming in the next few weeks.
Especially enjoyable was lunch at a friend’s home where most of the vegetables in the salads came from their garden. The difference in taste between home-grown organic to what is bought in the local supermarket is a world apart.
I spoke during Seudah Shlishi because it was sponsored in our honor by our host family. I spoke about the Jewish people traveling and how they moved and camped according to the direction that G-d showed them . I reflected this back to my travels: how I try and travel with G-d’s direction.
3 Responses to “Spending Shabbat with the Jewish Community of Richmond, Virginia”
Part of the reason the Richmond community is so relaxed is that many Conservative Jews actually go to the Orthodox synagogue. The Conservative synagogue in Richmond is very liberal (it even has an organ that they play on Shabbat) and some people feel more comfortable in the Orthodox synagogue. The Orthodox synagogue, Kenneset Beth Israel (KBI) is very welcoming and even though there is a strong (though small) community of shomer shabbat observant Jews, they welcome everyone with open arms.
Out of curiosity, how does a synagogue make do w/o a Rabbi? What do they do for teaching each week?
Perhaps they study Torah online?
It is normal for a shull to be without a Rabbi for a year. This often happens when one Rabbi leaves and they are in the process of selecting a new one.