Joining a new synagogue is difficult for any rabbi, as they are tasked with learning everything about a shul and its members and serving as a spiritual and communal leader.
Starting a new synagogue might be even harder.

But for Rabbi Chaim Schwartz at Shomrei Mishmeres HaKodesh, the synagogue in Cheswolde he started 20 years ago, the journey has been a successful one so far.

Today, Shomrei Mishmeres HaKodesh stands proudly with around 90 to 100 member families. Its roots and origins are humble, with the first iteration of the synagogue just being a room for minyan. Soon, more people in the area sought to become a part of an Orthodox community they had heard good things about. Just like that, a standalone synagogue started to blossom.

“We endeavor that everyone should feel welcome and important. It’s a warm and inviting place where you don’t just know the people, but they’re acknowledged and engaged and feel a part of the family,” Schwartz said. “We engage with people at a very high level, but at a level where everyone feels like they’re getting something.”

One thing that helps separate Shomrei Mishmeres HaKodesh from the crowded Jewish communal scene in Baltimore is its unique name. Translating to “Keepers of the Holy Watch,” in Hebrew, it comes from the Hebrew name of the community at the famous Lloyd Street Synagogue downtown. The original Shomrei Mishmeres HaKodesh was led by Schwartz’s grandfather, who served as president of the shul for 40 years.

Yet, even with that nod to his personal history being integral to the synagogue’s identity, Schwartz stressed that the important part of the community are the congregants.

“This is not about me or my grandfather, the point is that, for everybody, your family story is core to your life,” Schwartz said. “Our life is built not only on the tops of the shoulders of our parents and grandparents, but our missions are defined by them. As a community, these roots are so important for us … this is the mission that Hashem places in front of us.”

At Shomrei Mishmeres HaKodesh, the community is reaching the age where those legacies and multigenerational stories are starting to form within the walls.

“You see the strength from parents and grandparents and great-grandparents. There are a lot of people who we are celebrating,” Schwartz said.

Much of the proof of the synagogue’s appeal can be seen in its physical presence. Two years ago, the community broke ground on a new building in Cheswolde to accommodate its growth and offer the congregants more, which includes a mikvah. The structure has tall ceilings, wood and stone, which was intended to create a bond between heaven and Earth.

Some of that growth can be credited to the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw the Cheswolde area’s Orthodox Jewish community grow. Schwartz said that with people looking for a Jewish community and shul to join they could walk to, Shomrei Mishmeres HaKodesh was a great option.

For Schwartz, starting a synagogue came with the same challenges any fledgling business might face.

“You start everything from the ground up. You’re the chief cook and bottle washer and you have to really do everything if you started it on your own. Your blessings and restrictions are by virtue of your congregation and you end up doing a lot of things,” Schwartz said.

When Schwartz was younger, his father would hypothesize that one day, the Baltimore Jewish community would become a shell of its former self because of kids moving out. With communities around the area thriving — including the one that Schwartz himself founded — the rabbi in Cheswolde is happy to see that his father was incorrect.

“To see what has happened because of that kernel of Orthodoxy and commitment to the Torah is unbelievable,” Schwartz said. “He wouldn’t believe it.”

aguckes@midatlanticmedia.com