A crowd of well-wishers packed the sanctuary of Congregation Or Atid recently in celebration of the synagogue’s 40th year of existence in Richmond.
Gala attendees included a number of founding members who started the congregation in their homes as well as many of today’s membership numbering around 184 families who now daven in our facility on Patterson.
Rabbi Sherry Grinsteiner opened the evening’s festivities with a short welcome speech, followed by a full-service sit-down dinner, a video presentation noting the synagogues’ history, and dancing to finish off the evening’s celebration.
The Rabbi with Ruth Schoenhaut.
Delivering the evening’s keynote speech, Tommy Baer, Or Atid’s founding president and the only surviving member of its original board, noted that it was his choice to name the newly formed congregation at the time.
“I thought it was appropriate,” Baer said. “We were kind of an upstart congregation. We wanted to create a community dedicated to establishing Jewish values. We wanted to socialize, break bread and mourn together. We honor our past and lament the tragedies we had to overcome. We remain aspirational.”
Baer also explained that the congregation’s first Torah was procured from a collection of Torahs that originally was compiled for Adolf Hitler to display in Czechoslovakia.
The event included a special 40th Anniversary Display, where many attendees had their photos taken, including Charna and Joel Cone.
Today, Or Atid remains what the original members intended it to be, an egalitarian synagogue on the west end of Richmond.
Presentation Focused on Jews from Portugal and Spain
In the second of a four-part series of lectures presented at Or Atid titled “Our History Our Stories: Journeys of Jewish Communities Across Time and Continents,” Rabbi R. Shlomo Pereira spoke on the evolution of Judaism in Portugal and Spain.
In his presentation titled, “The Iberian Marrano Jews: A Story of Survival Against All Odds,” Rabbi Pereira’s slides and verbal explanation covered the highs and lows of Judaism, beginning with the Spanish and Portuguese expulsions of 1492 and 1497, respectively
“The worlds that were created by these expulsions was incredible. The Spanish crown made demands to do something with the Jews in Portugal,” Pereira said. “Portugal is a depository of Iberian Jews including a large contingent of Spanish Jews. It was a very strong group of people. Spain was generally considered unified with the marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castille.in 1469. ”He continued with a discussion of the Jewish survival in Portugal after 1497, the Sephardic Diaspora, the Lisbon Massacre of April 1506, and the Portuguese Inquisition. “A lot was lost. Especially Hebrew names and records of circumcisions.”
Rabbi Pereira also discussed Crypo-Judaism, the first Marrano Jewish revival in the 1920s, ending with the second Marrano Jewish Revival in the 1980s.
Through it all, Rabbi Pereira made an important observation essential to the survival of Judaism in Portugal and around the world.
“The cornerstone of Judaism is the home, not the synagogue. The key to Judaism is Shabbat. Everything is in the hands of women. We need to recognize the role of women,” he concluded.
Or Atid Celebrates the Native-American Experience
Nearly 70 participants from all backgrounds and ages joined Or Atid’s senior club for a vibrant celebration of Native American Heritage Month with the members of the Wolf Creek Cherokee Tribe.
The room was alive with traditional dance, the steady pulse of the drum circle, and engaging stories about tribal culture and traditions. Guests had the opportunity to interact with the tribe members, asking questions, thus creating a memorable and meaningful community moment for everyone.
Or Atid Students have a Busy December
The Jewish Middle School Community (JMC) at Or Atid kicked off its first event with great success. In December, nine middle schoolers gathered to make sufganiyot and enjoyed a lively white elephant gift exchange. Smiles and laughter filled the room as pre-teens made new friends and reconnected with familiar faces.
JMC is open to all Jewish middle schoolers in the Richmond area, and more events are already in the works, with a full schedule to be released in January. The JMC program is possible through a generous grant from the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond and coordinated by Congregation Or Atid. If you are interested in learning more or being on our mailing list, please email rkline@oratid.org.
The religious school also held a popular Hanukkah party that was packed with music, games and tons of fun! Students sang favorite Hanukkah songs with our awesome musicians and lit up the room as they said the Hanukkah blessings with Rabbi Sherry. Together, they talked about what Hanukkah means and how it reminds us to be strong, brave and proud to be Jewish.
Kids also teamed up for a super cool tzedakah project, building a giant Hanukkah menorah out of boxes of mac and cheese! All the boxes will be donated to the JCC food bank to help families in our community.
There was nonstop excitement with Hanukkah Bingo, dreidel games, arts and crafts, and silly challenges like Pin the Flames on the Candles, Flip the Latke (way harder than it looks), dreidel spin and more. Of course, no Hanukkah party would be complete without yummy latkes and donuts to enjoy together!