Matzo ball soup, Jewish day school, and synagogue for the High Holidays. These pieces make up the puzzle of my abuelo’s practice of Conservative Judaism. My grandfather, Hernan Rosenberg, grew up in Santiago, Chile, in the 1950s. The neighborhood was home to around 20,000 Jews, and had a profound impact on Hernan’s life and future.
At the time, the community was primarily Conservative. There was no Reform movement in Chile at that point, and there were very few Orthodox Jews living in Santiago. All the kids went to Jewish school together—and many went to the Jewish country club and synagogue together, too. They went to each other’s b’nai mitzvahs, and later weddings. They built strong, life-long relationships together. These relationships have lasted to this day, despite my grandfather having spent the last 50 years living in the US.
Growing up in a Jewish community not only allowed my grandfather to create strong bonds with other community members, but also influenced his personal values and beliefs. From a young age, Hernan and his family would attend synagogue for the High Holidays, where he would hear the TorahRefers to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, also called the Five Books of Moses, Pentateuch or the Hebrew equivalent, Humash. This is also called the Written Torah. The term may also refer to teachings that expound on Jewish tradition. Read more being chanted, and learn the stories and themes.
Additionally, living in a Jewish community meant that he was constantly surrounded by Jewish culture and core values. Core Jewish values heavily impacted his personal ones, he explained, and drove him to work in public international health. Kehillah (community), Gemilut Hassadim (acts of loving kindness), and Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) were all held in high regard in his sector of work, which drove him to work where he did.
A belief in TalmudReferring to one of two collections, the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds, edited in the 6th century, that contains hundreds of years of commentary, discussion, and exploration of the ideas in the Mishnah. One could describe it as Mishnah + Gemara = Talmud Read more Torah is also important to him, and has inspired him to take classes later in life about the Torah and ancient Israel.
His community was foundational in building his Jewish identity, despite his family only attending synagogue on the High Holidays. For my grandfather, growing up in a Jewish community meant that while everyone practiced Judaism, everyone worshipped in different ways. This gave my grandfather space to develop his own form of worship that fits his ideas and beliefs.
Today, his practice of Judaism consists of attending synagogue during the High Holidays with me and my family. Although he is not very observant in a traditional sense, he remains active in his Jewish community and takes a weekly Talmud study course. Hernan grew up in a place where being Jewish was not just a religious choice, but also had cultural and social effects. For him, being a Conservative Jew is not about how often you go to synagogue, but that you are engaged with the Jewish culture and are active in your community.
For my grandfather, growing up how he did shaped his future, beliefs, and practice of Judaism. While not everyone feels so connected to their community, having an active community helps people connect to one another and feel pride in their identity.
Growing up in Washington, DC, going to Adas Israel (one of the largest Conservative synagogues in the nation), and attending Jewish sleepaway camp, I have connected with Judaism largely due to the community that surrounds me. Like my grandfather, I have made life-long friendships and connections through my Jewish community. I am blessed with a diverse Jewish community—one of the incredible parts of belonging to a Conservative synagogue. I am able to partake in different types of services, meet new people from different backgrounds, and observe individual practices of Judaism. Conservative Judaism is unique in that way because so many different people belong to this sect of Judaism, allowing it to be so diverse and unique.
This essay was submitted as part of Exploring Judaism’s L’Dor V’Dor Essay Contest. To learn more, or submit your own essay, go here.
