Anya Surnitsky is Jewish but not observant. She would not be one to attend services at her synagogue, Ohev Shalom of Bucks County.
Yet last year, her husband became president of that synagogue. So, all of a sudden, whether she liked it or not, Surnitsky was intimately involved in Jewish ritual life.
It sparked an idea: a program for Jews like her.
In the spring of 2024, the first lady of the Richboro shul launched the Belonging Initiative, a series of social programs for members who may be less inclined to attend Shabbat services and the like.
Programs have included a wine-tasting, a weekly book club and a podcast discussion club, among others, according to Surnitsky. There may not be something for everyone yet, but there can be. The initiative is open to whoever may be interested. It’s also open to suggestions.
“People are looking for things like this,” Surnitsky said.
Surnitsky didn’t find herself at synagogue much before her husband became president. But once she started going, she discovered that there were people like her.
“I believe in Jewish values. I just am not interested in being in the sanctuary all the time,” she explained. “And then I started talking to more people who said, ‘You never see my spouse either. There’s nothing they think exists here for them.’”
About five to seven people attend the book and podcast clubs. Seven came for a yoga session that took place concurrently with a recent Shabbat service. Fifteen went to the wine-tasting.
Marnie and Barry Dratch have been Ohev Shalom members for more than 25 years. But with their kids grown and out of the house, they were starting to lose touch with synagogue life. That was, until they joined the book club.
They read one book about the history of Atlantic City in the 1920s and ‘30s. It was a chance to get nostalgic about old hotspots they had frequented as kids, according to Barry Dratch.
“We’re talking to people we don’t typically talk to at the synagogue. It just brought out conversations,” he said.
Marnie Dratch liked that the book club attracted members from different age demographics. Often, synagogue life is organized into groups like young families, empty nesters and others.
“When you go to synagogue, it’s not often a mixed demographic. The book club was a really wide range,” she said.
Barry Dratch also found that, when he walked through the synagogue doors after joining the club, he knew more faces and names.
“The more things you get involved with, you walk in and you always know somebody,” he said.
Ileene Jaffe has been a member at Ohev Shalom for 22 years. She calls herself “a cardiac Jew,” or “a Jew at heart.” As she explained it, she’s not a Torah scholar. She doesn’t even need to attend services. Jaffe just feels it.
So, like the Dratches, she found the book club to be a way to connect to her community without sitting in the sanctuary.
“It was a very good alternative to services. That’s when it is held. And whoever is there can go and join for the kiddush luncheon afterwards,” she said. “I just like reading. And I enjoy being with the other people and feeling a part of this community.”
Barbara Glickman, the synagogue’s executive director, explained the Belonging Initiative as a sort of antidote to twice-a-year Judaism.
“I hear from a lot of congregants. They come for High Holidays; you don’t see them after the holidays. I’ve found this to be a good way to share with people what we do,” Glickman said. “You can get involved at your level.”
Mindy Rockower, the shul’s programming chair, said synagogue leaders want Ohev Shalom to “feel like a second home to everyone.”
The Belonging Initiative is perhaps on its way to accomplishing that goal. Glickman said interest is increasing.
“The umbrella has gotten larger because there’s more of a need for it,” she said.
Surnitsky is a social worker who works from home. For her, the Belonging Initiative has filled a need that she didn’t even fully realize was there.
“I work from home. It’s nice to build connections, to know people’s names when I go in the building, and they know me,” she said.