Netivot Shalom in Baltimore is a Modern Orthodox shul centered around the tenant of community, and the synagogue is constantly working to further the environment of community with programming that explores Judaism in unique ways for each congregant.
Janice Michaelis, the Netivot Shalom membership chair, has been highly involved with running educational and communal programming to deepen Jewish connection for the congregants in ways that work for them.
Michaelis said that after Passover last year the congregation began the traditional study of Pirkei Avot (Ethics of our Fathers). People came to the sessions with various backgrounds that they applied to the group learning setting.
“We were getting a variety of approaches and concepts,” Michaelis said. “That’s what makes this shul so special, is that we have a lot of people who have the ability to take part in the teaching. When Pirkei Avot ended, somebody in the congregation suggested that we continue meeting in the hour before the mincha service.”
That led her to creating a group called Club Learning in the Afternoon, which takes place an hour before mincha and features several speakers from the congregation to teach their fellow members about interesting topics to learn together.
The group did 10 sessions last year and has restarted the program again this year due to its success. These sessions have included having the rabbi speak and a congregant doing a foray into a Yiddish story. Michaelis is in line to speak at the group’s upcoming event.
“It’s what the synagogue is all about. We emphasize, amongst other things, community growth and learning from each other. So, I think it was a community-building activity. We benefited from each other’s perspective and knowledge,” Michaelis said.
Michaelis also runs a Rosh Chodesh group that spends time going over interesting topics that she selects for the group to study, with the most recent iteration focusing on “hidden women” in certain Jewish texts, according to the synagogue website.
And with the Learning in the Afternoon group, Michaelis emphasized that this is all done through unique methods of study that are decided by the individual leader promoting different viewpoints.
“Everyone approaches learning in a different way. The congregation grows from that, because we get everyone’s approach; we’re a very learned congregation. You can bring up almost any topic and we’ll take a look at it, which is what makes the shul such a special shul,” Michaelis said. “And during Learning in the Afternoon, there’s no set text, so it allows for the flow of ideas, going wherever the participants take them. I think I’m the only one doing text study this session.”
Michaelis said that the programming committee is set to meet shortly to continue working on ways to consistently maintain that spirit of learning and community that they feel their events bring.
But even ahead of their meeting, Michaelis mentioned several programs that she’s excited about and involved with including Run for Their Lives, a weekly walk for the hostages; collection events, art classes, flower arranging and more, such as a visit to Maple Sugaring for Tu B’Shevat — all of which provide plenty of opportunities for members to get involved and stay involved with the local community.
“You could say that we’re always learning, but we’re doing it through all different facets and in all different directions,” Michaelis said. “I think the more programming we have, the more we meet the needs of our congregation, the more we build community and the more people learn. And I think that’s important and expansive of our thoughts, of our learning process to be more enriched Jews.”
And having this community is something that is important to Michaelis, who moved to the area several years ago after spending 35 years teaching in the Conservative movement in New Jersey.
Now in her current position with the congregation, she gets the chance to bring her unique background to this Modern Orthodox synagogue.
“The community offers so much more. It’s such a richer community in terms of knowledge bases both in our congregation and the Baltimore community in general,” Michaelis said. “We came from New Jersey three years ago, so the difference is extreme. In my mind, at least, this is the community I always needed and always wanted and I’m happy to be part of it.”
