You’ve probably heard the old African proverb,
“It takes a village to raise a child.”
Well, I am living proof that it’s true. In my case, it wasn’t a village, but a community, that helped raise me. I grew up in Hingham, Massachusetts, as the only child of the local Reform Rabbi. The members of our congregation literally watched me grow up, and they became like a big extended family. I spent a lot of time at temple, more than my friends, but I didn’t mind. Early on, I learned how to talk to adults. I was always comfortable at temple, and I never worried about not having someone to sit with at services, even if that someone was old enough to be my mom.
As someone with a small family, I loved having all of these people who knew me and truly cared about me. When I became a Bat Mitzvah at the age of 13, I invited the entire congregation, and a lot of them came to the service. There was a collective sense of pride that was palpable. People were always happy to see me around, and excited to hear about my achievements.
The summer before my junior year of high school, we moved to Long Island. It was incredibly difficult to leave everything and everyone I had ever known, including my temple community. The first few times I went to services at our new temple, I felt totally out of place. I didn’t know anyone, and they didn’t know me…except they did know about me. Almost eight years later, I still don’t know everyone, but I did find my place in our new community eventually. I made friends, joined the youth group, and tutored Hebrew. Although, I rarely go to services by myself (it’s just not the same), I do feel like this community has also contributed to the person I am today. They’ve been there for me and my family through some pretty tough times, and for that I will always be grateful.
People often ask me what it’s like to be the Rabbi’s daughter. They want to know if it made growing up any different. I think it is what you make of it. Some people drag their heels and resent their parent for making them be so Jewish…you don’t even have to have a Rabbi in the family to feel that way. Others, like me, embrace it. It’s pretty amazing to have so many people who care about you, and want the best for you. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. In fact, before I started writing this post, I sent a couple of e-mails to people who have known me my whole life, letting them know that Rob and I are engaged. I can’t wait until the news gets around the congregation because I know they will all be so happy for me. That is the beauty of community.
