In some Jewish communities, when the first day of Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat, the shofar is not blown. The reasons for that are complex and have to do with interpretation of Jewish law, and not all synagogues follow the practice.
Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah adheres to that halachic rule, meaning this year, the shofar wasn’t part of the first half of Rosh Hashanah.
For MMAE Rabbi Yerachmiel Shapiro, the unique nature of this Rosh Hashanah has a positive effect on him and the congregants.
“I think year after year, people come in and they have this whole guilt flash — and there’s nothing wrong with this — but if six out of seven years you go through the guilt cycle, teshuvah, to improve, then maybe one out of seven years, it’s a little bit more of a relaxed Rosh Hashanah. You realize that this whole time you’ve been growing. I’ve been growing for 45 years, and sometimes I don’t give myself credit for that,” Shapiro said.
The High Holidays are the busiest time of year at any synagogue, and as Shapiro said, it takes the work of clergy, staff and volunteers to make sure that it goes smoothly. Even though it means an increased workload and longer hours, things like Rosh Hashanah services always work out.
Shapiro cited his Yom Kippur sermon, which had not yet been written, as an example of something that doesn’t come easily but will have taken shape over the next few days.
“I’ve been here 16 years, and there’s never been a time where it didn’t happen,” he said.
Shapiro said the congregation has changed a lot over that time.
“We had a major expansion for a long time,” he said. “We were growing each year, and then COVID was a real change to the whole shul structure. A lot of people passed away, and a lot of people feel out of practice. It’s been a rebuilding process since COVID, and things are coming together.”
Even though Shapiro referred to the modern era as a “challenging time” for synagogues, he said that people still flock to MMAE. The appeal isn’t something that can be easily described, Shapiro said. It’s more something that you feel when you walk into the building.
“It’s not something that I have to tell anybody, they just experience friendliness and openness. We’re kind of a strange bunch, and it’s a big shul, yet a shul that is open to anybody and whatever they’re bringing,” he said. “It fits some people’s personalities — people who are looking for something a little more friendly and laid-back, and [somewhere that] feels a little easier to get integrated into the community.”
Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah also houses the Katz Jewish Music Center. It’s a dedicated music venue at the synagogue featuring a year-round slate of performances in different genres for people in the community who love music. Often, they are Jewish. Coming up, the Katz Jewish Music Center is hosting a big band. Next month, there is a klezmer group on the schedule, and a jazz trio, as well.
“Maybe more than any other place in the community [the Katz Jewish Music Center unites people]. If you go to the JCC gym at Park Heights, it’s mostly Orthodox people. In Owings Mills, it’s mostly non-Orthodox. Yet at these musical events, you have an incredible mix of Jewish and non-Jewish. Orthodox and not Orthodox. That’s because the common denominator is being a music lover, which transcends boundaries of denomination, of age and of background,” Shapiro said.
MMAE is a home for its members and others, as well. Shapiro said people who need a place to worship can reach out to him and that something can always be worked out. Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah has been around in one form or another since 1888, and its leaders hope that run doesn’t end anytime soon.
But first, Shapiro has to get through the fall holiday season.
“People should look forward to coming again next year, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” he said.
aguckes@midatlanticmedia.com
