The High Holidays, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah have all come and gone. The new year begins as does a new cycle of Torah. The opening chapters of the Book of Genesis tell the story of the world’s creation. The first word in the Torah is Bereshit—meaning, “In the beginning.”
Bereshit—the promise of a new beginning—speaks directly to all of us in so many ways and on so many levels. Because the Federation is in the community building business, Bereshit holds special significance as it relates to new beginnings that will shape Jewish organizational life in South Bend.
It’s our good fortune to have this extraordinary opportunity to embark on a fresh start as a Jewish community. Specifically, Sinai and Temple continue to have candid discussions about a new collaborative future. And while many details need to be worked out in their relationship, I do believe an extraordinary new beginning is underway.
Applying a fresh start approach to reimagine the future helps us see and think bigger. Understanding that change is the only constant in planning our future, we can find practical value and inspiration in looking at our community as one ecosystem and not just its parts.
Many small Jewish communities across the country are facing declining congregational membership and consequential financial challenges. As a result, affected communities and their leaders need to determine whether to grow and emerge anew or fade, tap into the energy of the younger generation or squander resources and stagnate.
Locally at home, with short and long-term risks notwithstanding, we’re discovering interdependence trumps independence and that a consensus-like mindset can inspire hope, optimism, and excitement for what’s to come.
Consensus building by definition is a process involving multiple parties working together to reach an agreement that everyone can support. Here in South Bend, how we develop and execute our community plan is our collective story to tell and this is the focus of this edition of Minute with Moshe.
If I’ve learned anything in my career, it’s that storytelling is an essential human activity—we think in metaphors and learn through stories. Stories evoke an emotional connection, have the power to drive change and ignite people to take action.
Perhaps we know this better than anyone; after all, we are the People of the Book! Jewish storytelling is central to our fundamental nature and a major part of the Jewish oral tradition. We tell stories to share Jewish values and pass down our cultural and religious heritage.
Jewish literature is full of stories—some sacred from our rabbinic tradition, some funny stemming from the conditions of Jewish life or from the experience of the Jewish people. On Passover, Jews gather around their Seder tables and tell the story of our exodus from Egypt.
Our stories help to contextualize where we have come from, where we are today, and where we are going. Through this temporal lens, our Jewish journey “teaches us to number our days—that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalms 90:12)
In 2025, the Federation will number its days with an 80th anniversary. Over the past eight decades, our Federation story has undergone a profound and positive transformation. We’ve grown from being a philanthropic organization—raising and distributing funds—to providing a vast array of programs and services to meet specific needs and goals.
I believe the community for the most part shares our pride in enriching the community through music, art, education, and culture. And I think this is true too in our ongoing efforts to create a beautiful space on our Federation campus for all to enjoy—from our park-like environment with its forested trails to our playground and pavilion.
And now as we contemplate the next chapter of our Jewish future, at the risk of oversimplifying the current state of our local Jewish community—we see our South Bend Orthodox community continuing to be ascendant as a percentage of the overall Jewish population, while Sinai and Temple have captured our attention recently by reimagining a shared-space future possibly on the campus of the Federation.
These collaborative developments to effectively share resources within the “partnership” should only bode well for our community. One promising outcome to explore is the creation of a Campus for Jewish Life—a welcoming place to gather, connect with each other, and engage in Jewish life that is accessible to all.
The clustering-type synergies with its compounding capacity generated by the Campus model offer tangible economic and programmatic benefits. Moreover, this reimagined space would be deeply rooted in our guiding principles of respect, connectivity, and inclusiveness.
Recognizing the health and welfare of our community depends on steady and purposeful leadership, I’ll close by saying the future is now in its most creative state. I hope you’ll agree, it’s in our power through bold thinking and cross-pollination of ideas to make Jewish life vibrant, accessible, and secure in South Bend, Israel, and around the world.
Moshe Kruger Executive Director Jewish Federation of St. Joseph Valley
L’Dor V’Dor—From Generation to Generation
The genesis of the South Bend Jewish community began in the late 1840s and 1850s when Jewish people settled in the area. The first congregation was established in 1887. Since our auspicious beginning, the arc of our communal life has been L’dor V’dor—from one generation to the next. Each generation on a quest to find Jewish meaning in America, personal growth, and fulfillment.
Check out the Michiana Jewish Historical Society at MichianaJewish.org/History for a superb sampling of stories about our local Jewish history
Here, you’ll find stories documenting the story of Jewish life in Michiana. In reading these stories it became quickly apparent to me that our grand narrative of Jewish peoplehood is also a local narrative of personal stories of family and self.
