Andrew Guckes | Staff Writer
At Congregation Ori Ami in Lafayette Hill, a past president had a way of describing the synagogue that has stuck around in the memory of Rabbi Glenn Ettman.
“She would often joke that ‘We’re the little powerful shul on the hill,’” he said.
With about 300 member families belonging to Or Ami, it is in fact smaller than some of its neighbors. However, many of Or Ami’s families that do belong have been there for generations.
“I have loved every second of being here,” said Ettman, who originally came to the congregation as an interim rabbi in 2016 before quickly realizing how much he liked it and joining full time.
“It’s a beautiful, special, great community filled with all the generations. One of the most unique pieces is how we have many generational families that both grew up at the synagogue and have come back to raise their children in the same synagogue,” Ettman said.
He said that one of his greatest joys in working at Or Ami is serving families who have been at the synagogue for two, three and even four generations. The Or Ami community was founded in 1947 as The Jewish Community Group of Roxborough.
Or Ami has changed a lot over the decades, but it still resembles the old model of a shul in one important way: It largely serves residents of the Lafayette Hill community and attracts people of all backgrounds from within those geographic boundaries.
“The common thread is the sense of community and the sense of belonging, in times of great joy and for times of sadness,” Ettman said. “Our tagline that we often use is that we call ourselves a ‘family of friends.’ Everybody belongs here — there’s a place for you and me, and mixing ideas is what brings people back, along with the connection to the physical area of where we live, and the connection to what the synagogue provides.”
Congregation Or Ami and Ettman take a pragmatic approach to modern Jewish practice. Ettman said that the Reform synagogue acknowledges that it is not realistic to get a packed house for every religious service. But the clergy’s goal is to provide an enriching experience at each of those services for whoever attends.
“We know and realize that in this day and age, not everybody is going to come to every single Shabbat service,” Ettman said. “Our goal is that the cantor and I will be there every Shabbat. And our goal is to create and celebrate our community.”
At Or Ami, one aspect of the synagogue that the community is particularly proud of is the Early Childhood Education Center. There are a half dozen different programs at the ECE Center that nurture children from the age of three months all the way through four years old. There are more than 100 students in the center. Ettman’s own daughter attended the program, and he said it put her on a path for academic success. The waiting list for admission is long.
“[A lot of] people are interested in being a part of the program because it’s so good,” Ettman said.
Ettman’s tenure at Or Ami is approaching a decade in length, and he said that much of the community is the same because of its rich tradition and the commitment of its congregants.
“What has changed is the momentum — it’s growing,” he said.
That can be partially attributed to Or Ami refurbishing some of its physical spaces. About three years ago, the synagogue improved its sanctuary by lowering the bimah, adding in moveable chairs and getting new ark doors. Last summer, Or Ami received a donation that allowed it to redo the social hall.
“A lot of the physical space has changed,” Ettman said. “Many people are coming back, many younger families are moving into the area and some of the generations coming back [have contributed] to the way that we’ve grown.”
Congregants new and old can feel the connection, according to the rabbi. For Chanukah, the synagogue spends time in Miles Park in Lafayette Hill, where a massive menorah built by past members is placed. Every night, congregants gather and celebrate together.
For Simcha Torah, the synagogue does something special, too.
“One of the big things that we do is not just taking the Torahs out and dancing around with the Torahs, but we open the Torah very safely around our chairs in our sanctuary, and I give a quick tour of the Torah, talking about the various portions,” Ettman said.
This helps students get a better idea of the scale of the Torah and the work that goes into making one.
For Passover, Ettman has even been known to dress as Moses.
Perhaps no aspect better symbolizes the commitment that Or Ami congregants have to each other and the community than the Mitzvah Corps.
“It’s a group of people who come together when there is a need,” Ettman said. “There’s a group that mobilizes to be there, to be with the families, and to help our families as a community, and it’s a real, true sense of coming together.”
Whether it be for a shiva or a happy occasion like a b’nai mitzvah, the Mitzvah Corps can be found rallying around their community members.
“There is something for everyone, and we try to create those holy spaces and that holy time by creating connection and partnership,” Ettman said.
