One year ago I left the warmth and comfort of Brooklyn to assume the rabbinic position at Congregation Shaarey Tphiloh of Portland, Maine. In my first sermon there I shared with the congregants what I had left behind to become their rabbi and what I expected to receive in return. Here are some of those thoughts I expressed:
No longer would I be faced with the difficult decision of which pizza store I would patronize and at which hour of the day would I do so. The closet fresh kosher pizza is 90 miles away.
No longer would I have the opportunity to ride crowded subway cars or wait in crowded subway stations for trains that were delayed or rerouted, especially in short wintertime Friday afternoons. There are no subways in Maine. (But the drive to the gigantic Maine Mall takes 10 minutes from my house and the trip to the airport is only eight minutes long.)
No longer would I have my choice of dozens of shiurim each week at tens of locations, morning, noon, and evening. If I desired such a class I would have to attend the one that I was going to give.
No longer would I be able to visit with a large number of friends who observe Shabbat as I do because the short list of shomrei Shabbat families here is comprised of seven names. However, I welcomed the opportunity to share our Shabbat table with members of my congregation and my extended Jewish community so that they could witness first hand these beautiful Jewish traditions. Our shul is proud to have a kiddush each Shabbat morning during which people can sit and shmooze.
No longer would I be able to choose from a menu of minyanim extending from sunrise to “almost before noon” in so many different shul locations. Davening alone in the shul’s beis medrash is a relatively new experience for me but it does have certain rewards, such as quiet and time for contemplation.
No longer would I have to hear from people who were disappointed that they hadn’t received an aliyah in months or hadn’t been asked to daven before the amud in ages. In my new shul everyone is welcome to daven at the amud, though at the moment I have only one interested volunteer. And aliyahs are yours for the asking (and we don’t expect a pledge, either).
No longer would I have to worry about saying “Good Shabbos” to someone on a crowded street. The streets are not crowded and all the residents — Jewish and non-Jewish — are very friendly.
The pace of life here is noticeably different. There are no traffic delays or commuting problems in Portland. Rarely do you hear the horns of automobiles blasting away. Rarer still do drivers explode with ‘road rage.’ The flow of pedestrian traffic at the malls is pleasant without any pushing or shoving. In Maine they say that this is how life should be lived. And I agree wholeheartedly.
I have found much interest among the non-Jewish community in learning about our traditions and customs. There is a large Muslim community in our area and we share thoughts and ideas regularly. Our local newspaper, the Portland Press Herald, regularly carries articles sympathetic to the cause of Eretz Yisrael. I myself meet regularly with members of Peace Action Maine who share with me their take on the Middle East — i.e., that more has to be done on behalf of the Palestinians there. They respect my points of view and our conversations are very civil.
But the weather is really not much different from that in Brooklyn and sunset is only about 15 minutes earlier. Our community has a chevrah kadisha and a Jewish funeral building with two Orthodox cemeteries. The local mikvah is attached to our synagogue building and is used often by men and women. We have a vaad hakashrus that meets regularly.
Our Federation has set a goal of raising one million dollars in its next campaign. Our Jewish community alliance publishes a fine monthly newspaper. Our community day school has been in existence some 51 years. Enrollment this year is 36 students. Tuition costs are about one-fifth those in Brooklyn.
For collegial times I share thoughts with the Lubavitch shaliach who has been here for 18 years. I am still trying to be comfortable (if that is at all possible) with serving the Jews of Portland whose other leaders are female rabbis and chazzanim. This price I pay is often exacting.
There are many interesting challenges being a rabbi here in Portland, Maine. All things considered, I am happy with these new responsibilities and would welcome more families to come and join in this revitalization.
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