Community Magazine December 2003

38 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE s xc S teeped in tradition and true to its unique practices, the K’hal Adat Jeshurun in New York’s Washington Heights is a world famous Orthodox Congregation. The mainly German descended congregants have maintained the aura and majesty of this once grand congregation by staying fiercely faithful to their customs in all aspects of communal and syna- gogue life. I was vaguely aware of the con- gregation, but late one cloudy morning this past April it barely mattered. All I needed to do was find a late Minyan close to the hos- pital where my child was about to undergo a serious operation. I was lucky to find that the last Minyan of the morning had already started – so I slipped into the back of the shul and prayed, taking much longer than usual – in fact when I was done, I was almost the last one out. Before stepping outside, I spent a moment collecting my thoughts and remembered that I needed to know what time prayers would start that evening. It was the seventh night of Passover, by that evening the surgery would be over, and hopefully, I would be able to join the congregation for Holiday prayers. So I lingered in the vestibule of the Shul perusing the various postings on the two large bulletin boards looking for the prayer schedule. The schedule was in fact posted along with many different items of interest, some of which seemed old and dated, but intentionally left there as they had some historical significance. Actually, my thoughts were far away – I guess subconsciously I wanted to linger just a bit more and delay facing what the day might have in store. Then it caught my eye, a small index card yellowed with age with a typewritten mes- sage that said something very close to this: Welcoming Committee The following members are the synagogue welcoming committee They will be happy to assist our guests in finding a seat, a Tallis and Siddur, providing a meal or place to stay, or anything else our guests may need. Two names were listed, but I remem- bered only that the first was David I remember thinking just then about the reputation of this German Jewish commu- nity and how precise they were rumored to be about everything. “Imagine” I said to myself, “years ago they actually posted a notice about an organized welcoming committee!” I came out of my reverie, and back to the real world. I rushed back to the hospi- tal to face the challenges ahead. It was a grueling and stressful day anticipating the outcome of the surgery and doing our best to prepare for the holiday in the hospital at the same time. The surgery ended late in the afternoon, friends and family had long gone home for the holiday. The critical and precarious post operative period lay ahead and the holiday was about to begin. We quickly washed and dressed in the apartment provided by the Bikur Holim of the Washington Heights community (a story in itself) and I rushed back to the shul to pray. Little else was on my mind, my spirits were at an all time low, it was cold and rainy, the weather mirrored my mood. I wanted to cry. As I approached the Shul I pulled myself together, the bright lights that framed the old building perked me up. Scores of people entered; many of the men sported the classic Homburg hats that they wore on Shabbat and Holidays. As I approached the front door, I saw a man in work clothes holding the door open. “Good Yom Tov” he said in a thick Spanish accent which gave him away as the Shul’s ‘Shabbat Goy’. But no sooner was I inside the vestibule unbuttoning my raincoat when a tall, distinguished looking, early middle-aged gentleman, extended his hand to me and said “Hello, I’m David Hoff of the shul welcoming committee” I almost fainted! I said “You’ve got to be kidding – you mean there really is a wel- coming committee?” Before he could answer, he noticed the hospital security bracelet on my wrist – and then I didn’t stand a chance. I was bar- raged with questions of who, what, and why. Some other gentlemen came over to me and in no time I had offers of places to stay and places to eat. Mr. Hoff kept a watchful eye over me for the next two days of Yom Tov and the fol- lowing Shabbat. He arranged for me to get an Aliah to the Torah, and for a special ‘Mi- Sheberach’ to be said at the Bimah. He often came over to my seat to explain the wonderful customs of the shul that I was witnessing firsthand. Another gentleman actually sent his daughters and their friends to visit us in the hospital. It was an incred- ible display of Ahavat Yisrael. The warmth, generosity, and true concern that the com- munity showed to us was unforgettable. I shall be forever grateful, but I don’t think that’s enough. I felt humbled. I believe that I learned a big lesson about what it means to greet and welcome a stranger. A lesson that I think we all can learn and put into practice. How often do we ignore those strange faces in back of the Shul. How about the strange faces that have been praying with us for the past few months—or longer! At the very least we should look over our shoulders once in while and make someone feel welcome. The Welcoming Committee BY: ME I R ERAN I CM