JUNE 23 • 2022 | 19

and he is proud of the work 
they do, not just for the Jewish 
community, but for the greater 
community.
“We’re involved in all kinds 
of pursuits. We have this 
amazing food bank that was 
started at Temple Emanuel 
when some of the first Soviet 
Jews began emigrating to 
America,” Schadick said. 
“Some of our members 
decided they would really 
step forward and collect food. 
We’re serving about 50 fam-
ilies every single month that 
receive a week’s worth of food 
from us.” 
A congregation of about 
300 families, Temple Emanuel, 
Schadick says, believes in 
doing the best it can to meet 
the needs of its diverse popu-
lation. 
“I think the future of Jewish 
life in America has to include 
everyone who has interest 
because that’s how we grow, 

learn and respond to the 
change and realities of life, 
how we learn from each other 
and bring other people’s expe-
riences into our community, 
and that’s how we expand our 
understanding of the world 
and humanity and how we 
can do a better job to serve 
it,” he said. 
The congregation usually 

features one highlighted event 
a week with a strong focus on 
connection.
“On a Thursday evening, 
we had 25 teenagers attend a 
game night at a local colleges. 
Friday evening, we had our 
young adult community meet 
for a barbecue at someone’s 
house after services ended. 
“We have a breakfast once a 

month to try to involve peo-
ple. We have opportunities for 
people to connect with each 
other as best we can,” he said.
United Jewish School 
is a combined religious 
Sunday school serving 
Temple Emanuel and the 
Conservative congregation of 
Grand Rapids, Ahavas Israel. 
Cantor Fair is the school 
director. 
In general, Temple Emanuel 
has a close relationship with 
Ahavas Israel. 
“When the opportunity is 
there for us to be together, we 
like to have events together,” 
Schadick said. 
“I think that’s true of the 
Grand Rapids Jewish commu-
nity as a whole. We’re a small 
Jewish community, so whether 
it’s with the Jewish Federation 
or the other synagogues, we 
tend to be friendly with each 
other. We’re all in this togeth-
er.” 

Rabbi Schadick and Cantor Fair in 
front of the mural in the sanctuary

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