Creating Community

Community can develop in many ways and in many places. Many of us are part of numerous communities. We have our family community, our professional communities, possibly our children’s school communities. Sometimes, a community forms in our neighborhoods. Regarding our Parenting Through a Jewish Lens class, a community is slowly, but surely, developing in a living room on a side street in Cambridge. 

We shared bits of ourselves at our first session after the infamous Halloween snowstorm. A great way to begin building memories! We each shared what we felt comfortable sharing – some of us tentatively sticking our toes in, some of us jumping in quickly and deeply. We found surprising connections among us, discovering some shared past experiences. We also realized the many ways in which we were each different, each individual. 

Margie Bogdanow (front row, second from the right)
with fellow Parenting Through a Jewish Lens instructors

What initially brought our group together was a belief in the value of spending some precious Sunday time exploring the concept of “Parenting Through a Jewish Lens.” As the weeks have gone by, our connective “threads” are multiplying and strengthening. With this, our group of separate individuals is also becoming a new community of one. We spend time together learning, laughing, and even shedding tears. This week we will share in a havdalah ceremony and I suspect that the sights, sounds and smells of this wonderful ritual marking the separation of the holy (Shabbat) from the mundane (the work week) will add yet more threads to our developing community.

Margie Bogdanow has worked for over thirty years with parents and educators in a variety of settings. She currently serves as a consultant to the Youth Educator Initiative of Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston and lives in Cambridge, MA.