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Temple Beth Jacob
Newburgh, New York

by Elizabeth Mayers

On Friday June 29, I attended a service at Temple Beth Jacob in Newburgh, New York with a friend. I have been friends with Shari for almost four years, and while she is obviously aware I am Christian and I am aware she is Jewish, we never really spoke of our faiths to each other, let alone participated in a worship. I have been missing out though, as we chattered afterwards and I shared what a privilege it had been to visit our conversation took a deeper turn and as we spoke of our beliefs and the basis of our individual faiths, we quickly realized we had much more in common then our children and our parenting values. We discovered we were connected much deeper, despite our different faiths. My visit was not only an educational experience regarding the practice of Judaism, it was a spiritual experience in I had the awesome opportunity to move to a different level of friendship with this good friend!

Temple Beth Jacob (House of Jacob) is a Reform Congregation. As such, they believe "in the principle that Judaism has never demanded uniformity of belief or practice, and stress the importance of individual interpretation of traditions" . I felt very welcome during my visit. The Temple has an open door policy and welcomes visitors always. One of the things Temple Beth Jacob prides itself on is the possession of a Holocaust Torah. It was recovered from the Nazis after World War II. Members of the congregation feel strongly that the presence of this Torah adds greatly to the meaning of their services and serves as a constant reminder of one of the many struggles those of Jewish faith have had to contend with during the course of history. It doesn’t make the congregants sad, it seems to make them very proud and they have a sense of "evolution" if you will as a result of the persecution by the Nazis. Something I couldn’t keep thinking about was that at one point, well after I learned of this special relic, I was casually speaking to the rabbi and he mentioned that "in a larger sense, Torah means ‘way of life’" Considering the context this Temple acquired this particular Torah, it made me very reverent of the fact that those of Jewish faith seemed to have an "acceptance" of their persecution as "a way of life".

As I mentioned earlier, we went to Temple on Friday night. We were the only ones actually present during the service, and Shari whispered that things slow down drastically in the summer. We went into the sanctuary-it was a very large room with rows of chairs and muted lighting. On the walls there were memorial pictures and plaques. Some had small lamps lit on either side (Yahrtzeit lamps), which are lit to commemorate the day the person on the plaque died. Shari jokingly told me later Jews like to have their names on everything, but continued to say that memorializing and remembering the dead is a huge part of her faith. I liked this. It made me feel as if those who pass on are still a part of this life in some way. The Reform tradition seems to hold the belief that there could very well be an afterlife, but surely the rewards of such a life would be dependent on the life we live here, thus it is vital to follow God’s path and live life accordingly.

There were beautiful stained glass windows depicting the twelve tribes of ancient Israel. By the door was a "Mezuzah". Conservative and Orthodox Jews kiss the mezuzah before walking into the door. In the Reform tradition, the requirements for the mezuzah are individual and up to interpretation. The ritual of the mezuzah comes from the Biblical commandment "And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gates" (Deuteronomy 6:9)

We’d been advised that for this particular Temple, casual dressy was fine. I wore black slacks and a blouse. Shari wore the same thing, and told me that many Temples would find us disrespectful and we’d be required to wear a dress and men a suit and a "Tallit" or a prayer shawl. She said men are not required to wear "kippas" (yarmulkes) either, but at many temples, again, it would be mandatory.

In the front of the room there is a raised area, an alter called a Bimah. On it are two podiums, one for the Rabbi and one for the Cantor. The cantor leads the singing and prayer. In this particular Reform Temple the Rabbi and Cantor still wear robes…they don’t in many Reform Temples. For all services besides the High Holy Days they wear black robes. On the High Holy Days they wear white. In the center of the bimah exists two doors. These are the two doors of the Ark, which holds the Torah scrolls. When the doors are opened, and the ark comes out, the congregation stands out of respect. Above the ark is the Ner Tamid, or eternal light. There is one in every temple and it is never to be extinguished.

In Orthodox Temples the Torah would never be removed on a Friday night, but in the this Reform Temple it is normal. Shari said that much of their membership declined as a result of this more modern approach to Judaism, so certain times of the month the service is more "classic reformed" than what she referred to as "fun reformed". She said slowly they are beginning to draw in a younger, less conservative crowd, which is a goal they’d set some years ago. She said at Temple Beth Jacob they are trying to make Judaism more a part of the heart than a part of the mind. She said the amount of singing we did as well was not typical of most Jewish Temples and Synagogues and that this too is an effort to bring together the congregation as a community.

I have a deep interest in learning about other faiths, but it never quite occurred to me that doing this could so positively effect my relationships with those close to me. Despie our different beliefs, I feel so connected at a spiritual level now! Shari will be coming to my daughter’s baptism at the end of the month, which will occur within a service, so we both are excited about her getting to participate and get a sense of what I felt by attending Temple with her.

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