Being Jewish In A Small Community Taught Me The Power Of Showing Up

A blog post by: AVI Common Roots Ambassador Naomi Robinson

Common Roots Ambassador Naomi participates in team-building Activity with Director of Education Gabriela Rosenblum and Common Roots Mentor Yalli

Why participate in the Jewish community?

Showing up takes time, it takes effort. You’ll meet people you don’t like and have to work to build relationships. It’s easier to think, “Just knowing I’m Jewish is enough for me.”

But it's not. In 2018, the Alliant International University in California developed its Jewish Experiences Scale to measure the relationship between discrimination, positivity of Jewish experiences, and overall wellbeing. Their study showed that positive Jewish experiences improved overall wellbeing and reaction to antisemitism, but just identifying as Jewish didn’t. That means that just identifying as Jewish alone isn’t enough, participating and building positive Jewish experiences is what counts.

It’s easy to see what positive Jewish experiences are in big Jewish communities. At the Marlene Meyerson JCC in Manhattan, they have ceramic classes, swim classes, book clubs, toddler Shabbats. All run by professionals, which we don’t have in smaller communities. 

In my community in London, Ontario, we have a city of 500,000 people and a Jewish community of 3,000 people. We have a limited number of hired professionals to run children’s programs, lead services, or cook the food that brings people out to events. As a teen, I can tell you that the lack of people my age can create a small social bubble. However, in smaller communities we have one big advantage: we get to build Jewish experiences, not just attend them. 

I get to work with kids by running my synagogue’s weekly Shabbat program for grade-school aged kids. Instead of cantors, people in my community learn to lead services and they do a beautiful job. Our food isn’t made by professionals, but volunteering in the kitchen is a wonderful experience that I encourage everyone to do. The food is outstanding, and its special sauce is simply people enjoying cooking together.

When I was a student at the London Community Hebrew Day School, I was one of six students in my grade. Instead of only socializing with five kids, I built strong friendships with kids of all ages. I followed the older kids’ examples and shared toys, played sports, and participated in Shabbat at school. I learned how to set a good example for the younger kids.  One of my favourite school memories was helping the kindergarteners make Magen David cookies during our Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration in Grade 6. 

Positive Jewish experiences aren’t difficult to find, even in small communities. They’re not challenging to make, either. And in small communities, we have more opportunities to create positive experiences.

The easiest way to create a positive Jewish experience is to just show up. For example, making a minyan when someone needs to say Kaddish. When someone needs to say Kaddish, my community pulls together to make sure they can. Comforting mourners is one of the pillars of Judaism, and people being there for you is a great reason for being part of a community. Showing up for others is heartwarming, and it strengthens your sense of Jewish pride, and it helps you connect with your community. This is so important in small communities where it is easy to be lonely.

Even when our community is tight knit, our small communities can feel isolated and far away from bigger communities. We aren’t alone, though. One thing that connects Jews all over the world is Israel. Showing up to support Israel is a way to connect with the broader Jewish community with a common cause. 

Israel is chock-full of Jewish history. It’s something physical connecting us to millennia of Judaism, and it connects us to the Jews of our era as well. For all Jews, Israel is our promised land and our safe haven, should it ever be necessary. It’s the only place in the world where being Jewish isn’t weird.

As Jews, we need to celebrate, support, and educate about Israel. That’s why events like Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations, Yom Hazikaron memorials, speakers about Israel, and even Israeli themed Shabbat dinners are so critical. And in smaller communities? They are even more important.

When I remember showing the kindergarteners how to make cookies back on Yom Ha’atzmaut in sixth grade, I know why I show up for my Jewish community -- building positive Jewish experiences for myself and the people around me. Go to any event that interests you in your Jewish community, especially ones about Israel. Since 2023, 70% of hate crimes targeting religious groups in Canada target Jews. We need positive Jewish experiences and connected communities now more than ever.

Naomi is a high-school student and a Common Roots Ambassador with Allied Voices for Israel (AVI).