At Temple Sholom in Broomall, the perils of the COVID-19 pandemic helped the congregation establish the path it is on today. As Director of Membership and Programming Sarah Beth Podell explained, the shul reevaluated its relationships, strategies and role in the community when the world shut down and everything changed.
“It was sort of time to rebuild and do so strategically, and to reestablish all of the partnerships and make sure that we were committing in ways that were not just showing up at one-off events or the events that we always did,” she said, specifically referencing Temple Sholom’s intention to forge relationships with other houses of worship, Jewish or not.
“How do we help model dialogue for our students and for our community? So much of the world is struggling with dialogue in all different ways, whether this is in your own family or on your block,” Podell said.
The result is tangible partnerships with other faith-based organizations that consist of “meaningful conversations” and providing a place to “practice learning,” she said.
Now, Temple Sholom is a part of the Beloved Community Initiative, which is a group of churches and synagogues that hold a variety of types of programming with one another to bridge the gaps between people of different backgrounds. It’s not just lip service, either.
For example, later this year, a group of teens from the synagogue is traveling to Los Angeles to do volunteer work with other teens of different backgrounds and learn from each other while they help serve the community at large.
Podell said that it is easy to take the value of interfaith work for granted. Plenty of shuls and churches hold luncheons with smiling photo-ops, but digging deeper is where real change and understanding start.
“To think about how we learn from one another, how we grow in that relationship and that we’re doing that important work as a Jewish community, that was front of mind [for us],” she said.
The Temple Sholom community is excited about the partnerships. Podell said that the community’s work in the last few years has “reignited” ideas that were explored prior to the pandemic.
“As people grow and as our community grows, we’re continuing to have conversations about the current events of the world we’re living in, reflective of what’s happening in our day-to-day lives,” she said.
The synagogue is also going to be working with some mosques and non-Jewish temples in the area, as it seeks to expand its relationships in the religious world.
As the most exciting time in the Jewish calendar reaches its apex, the Temple Sholom community is thrilled to be back together after a summer away.
“It’s wonderful to have this time of year where we see so much of our community here present and excited about all the things that are ahead,” Podell said.
The synagogue has a new mirpeset named after the Shapiro family, which they are proud to have opened to their members. Meaning balcony or porch in Hebrew, the mirpeset is a place to gather and enjoy the fresh air.
The synagogue is also excited to be starting a year’s worth of programming, which includes events like a speaker to discuss the plight of homelessness and creating bags to distribute to homeless members of the community around Sukkot.
“Creating meaningful opportunities to not only be together in the sukkah, but to also give our time to communities and individuals that need support,” Podell said.
For Temple Sholom in Broomall, a big part of Judaism is reaching out beyond the synagogue walls. Whether it’s other synagogues, other houses of worship, the homeless or others, the more than 430 families that make it up will continue to build bridges as they welcome in the new year.