At Chevrei Tzedek, social justice and activism is more than just a value. In fact, it’s literally part of their name, said synagogue chair David Saltzberg.
“Tzedakah or justice is a literal translation, so that’s been a fundamental pillar of the congregation from the beginning,” he said. “We have a very active social action committee.”
Chevrei Tzedek was founded in 1988 by a small group who wanted a Conservative shul that practiced traditional Judaism and engaged in social activism. Today, about 120 adults belong to Chevrei Tzedek. There aren’t many young families who are members, but the congregation has historically hosted families whose children went to Jewish day school together. The cohesion of synagogue and school life was one of the reasons that Saltzberg and his family joined.
Then and now, the biggest factor working in Chevrei Tzedek’s favor is the synagogue’s welcoming nature.
“The informal, egalitarian nature of it [is what people mention when they join] but also the fact that people are on different Jewish journeys in terms of how they’d like to express their Jewishness,” Saltzberg said. “Some people — women who have never had a bat mitzvah — join so that they can have that bat mitzvah. Some people have a little more of a background, but have never done a Haftorah, and they have the opportunity to do that here.”
The vast majority of services and sermons at Chevrei Tzedek are done by the congregants, which gives members a chance to engage in a way that they might not be able to at other shuls. Their rabbi, Marci Jacobs, is part-time. She has been with Chevrei Tzedek for three years, and is sometimes at the synagogue during the week, but mostly on holidays, for Shabbat and for other special programs.
The social action committee is and always has been a defining part of Chevrei Tzedek. It is responsible for a program called “Refugees Shabbat,” a national movement that celebrates immigrants and is put on annually at various synagogues. The shul had a professional storyteller present on the life of Emma Lazarus, who wrote “The New Colossus,” best known as the poem inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty.
“She acted out comments that Emma Lazarus made from a biography of her, and it was quite impressive,” Saltzberg said.
Another group at the synagogue that is important to members is the Israel Action Committee. Saltzberg said that the synagogue and its members are generally supportive of Israel, and a number of members have lived in Israel or have family there.
While the future is uncertain no matter how large or ingrained you are, it is particularly tenuous for smaller synagogues who cater to an older crowd. Saltzberg said that Chevrei Tzedek would like to continue to grow, and that it has actually added a number of new members in the last year.
“Our philosophy is that we don’t think that outside advertising is very successful. We think the best way is by word of mouth. We’re a very welcoming group of people, and coming to Chevrei Tzedek is like finding a new family,” he said. “If you came here to a relatively small group, people would recognize you as a new person in the first 15 minutes and half a dozen people would know your whole life story.”
It may sound difficult to solidify a future when you rely on good old fashioned person-to-person advertising instead of taking advantage of social media or event print media, but it has worked for Chevrei Tzedek since the ’80s and it is confident it will work going forward. It certainly was helped by a generous $100,000 donation made last year per the wishes of a late member who passed in 2024. The people who belong to Chevrei Tzedek really love it.
“We think we provide a warm and welcoming community that gives people an opportunity to to pursue their individual Jewish journeys, and that’s attractive to people,” Saltzberg said.
