4' ‘1

Rabbi Arnie Sleutelberg has helped bring about a Jewish congregational presence in Troy.

wrong side of the tracks," said
Wengrow, who grew up and married
her husband Irv, in a Conservative
shul. "Somewhere along the line we
got this reputation that everyone at
Shir Tikvah is intermarried or unaffili-
ated. But we have members who go
from ultra-Reform to some who were
raised ultra-Orthodox. Somewhere
along the line we met a happy medi-
um for everybody. We have made
good friends who are intermarried.
They are totally accepted. I think
that's what I like about Shir Tikvah.
It's like home away from home.
Everybody is welcome here, and that's
the difference. It doesn't make a differ-
ence who you are."
Joan Littman learned that when
she and her husband joined Shir
Tikvah. A Lutheran, she is a board
member of the temple. Even though
she retains her religious identity, she
is an active participant in all things
Jewish at Shir Tikvah.
"A lot of good, organizational
principles go to the successful build-
ing of a temple, not just things that

12/26
1997

74

are Jewish," she commented.
"I think Shir Tikvah is a passion,"
she said."When you think you are
going to lose something, it takes on
more value. A lot of our Jewish mem-
bers took their
Jewishness for grant-
ed. There was no
one shoring up the
sides. Before they
lost something dear
to them, they real-
ized they had to be
the ones leading by
example. It wasn't a
question of not hav-
ing Jewish grand-
children, it came
down to having
Jewish children."
Shir Tikvah made
sure that its families
were participating in the education of
its children to the prayers on Shabbat
and during holidays.
"The children of this congregation
know some things," said Littman.
"The rabbi knows my name. The

rabbi comes to my home. The rabbi
is immersed in our families. That's
the Shir Tikvah way of doing things.
And again, every family contributes
what they can in the way of time and
energy. We've all
found that when
you stand to lose
something, like
your Judaism, it
becomes more
important. You
have no idea how
many of our high
school kids look
forward to coming
to religious school,
because it's the
only place they are
with other Jewish
kids. They are
sometimes the only
Jewish kid in their class at school.
Jewish friends mean something to
them."
To the adults as well.
"The smallness is a real positive
thing," says Ron Elkus, a member

"We're there to
sing and pray,
not watch
someone and
have them sing
,,
for us.

for six years. "There's this kind of
feeling there that makes one pray.
We're not there to shmooze. We're
there to sing and pray, not watch
someone and have them sing for us.
When I go to other synagogues I see
people staring and watching. I can't
understand that. I have a really bad
voice, yet at Shir Tikvah, I want to
sing and sing loudly.
"But what's really great," he contin- I
ued, "is the diversity. I look around,
and I've felt that nine of 10 wouldn't be
part of a temple or even affiliated with
Judaism anywhere else."
Rabbi Sleutelberg sees the growth
and popularity of the synagogue. He
quietly admits that his focus is to
keep it reachable, touchable even
with growing members.
"The bottom line is that we're keep-
ing Judaism alive for another genera-
tion," said Rabbi Sleutelberg. "God
only knows what the future is.
Assimilation is out of control. But at
Shir Tikvah, we know that at least
another 250 households are Jewish
now."

❑