Rabbi Mitchell Novitsky says it’s the little things that matter.
Temple Beth Ami is Unique. Many Jewish congregations in Philadelphia have closed, merged or shrunk in size, and Beth Ami has not been exempt from that. But while other congregations have made changes to Shabbat services or to their synagogue’s mission, Beth Ami has remained exactly the same.
“It’s the little things that are very important,” Rabbi Mitchell Novitsky said. “That was my sermon this past week. So, when I’m not talking about Israel, I’m talking about basic Jewish values that as Jews, we have to have respect for others.”
The synagogue is a traditional Conservative synagogue. Unlike an Orthodox synagogue, the men and women sit and pray together, but the women don’t participate in running the service — the way it was when the congregation first opened its doors in 1955.
It’s small, roughly 120 members, but still growing, according to Novitsky.
“A traditional Jewish service is a service where people attending feel a connection to their religion and stay connected to their religion, and that’s what I think is the beauty of our services that we conduct,” he said.
Novitsky grew up Modern Orthodox in Northeast Philadelphia. He was ordained young, but after his mother and father passed away, he moved away from it, focusing on his legal career. “I helped out in the synagogues and everything, but I wasn’t a pulpit rabbi,” he explained.
In 2011, Beth Ami was looking for a rabbi to help keep its doors open, but because of its low budget, they couldn’t pay a full salary. Novitsky didn’t mind. Despite having grown up Modern Orthodox, he believed in the importance of Beth Ami keeping its doors open.
“Orthodox, everybody walks to the synagogue. Most of our people are elderly, they don’t live nearby. They drive, and frankly, I don’t care,” Novitsky said. “The most important thing is that they come to the synagogue and they stay involved with Judaism.”
Novitsky added Beth Ami welcomes everyone, no matter their religious background or if they can pay for membership. He said he believes that the congregation is a friendly place.
“You can walk in [to other synagogues], sit there the whole time and leave, and nobody will say boo to you,” Novitsky said. “That’s the secret to our congregation … The minute you walk into our congregation, we have a president by the name of Barry Stucker. He will walk over to you and start talking to you … You walk into our synagogue and you’re part of a family.”
The synagogue itself is run almost entirely by its congregants on a very low budget.
“The guy that does part of the service on Saturday, he also mows the lawn. Our kohanim blesses the congregation [and] he sets up the stuff in the kitchen,” said Novitsky.
He added, “That’s the secret to our congregation, we’re all inclusive. Regardless of your background, who you are. You walk into our synagogue and you’re part of a family.”