Some of you already know that on the first Thursday of every month, a group of Ohevites meets at Pinocchio’s Pizza in Media for a Lunch n’ Learn. We rent out their upstairs room (which you possibly didn’t even know existed!), and spend an hour-and-a-half, or so, eating pizza and salad, and learning about Judaism, or aspects of the world through a Jewish lens. Sometimes we get 14 people, other times we’ve hit close to 40. We seem to have formed a die-hard group of LunchersN’Learners, who generally try to come every month, though all are welcome! This year, we’re mixing it up.
In honor of Ohev’s centennial celebration, our Lunch n’ Learn in 5780 (2019-2020) is going to be a bit different. I thought we might spend the next few months delving into the history of the Jews who settled in Chester, where our congregation was founded. I already began this topic at LnL in July and August, but so far we haven’t even gotten to the founding of the synagogue in 1920!
On October 17th (yes, I know it’s not the first Thursday of the month... read on...), we will continue our conversation in the Ohev Sukkah. Then, on November 7th, we’ll return to our usual venue (Pinocchio’s in Media) and normal schedule. My hope is that we’ll not only learn about the story of B’nai Israel and B’nai Aaron becoming Ohev Sholom (with a faction forming Mispallelim), then Ohev Shalom, then moving to Wallingford - but that it’ll teach us something else vital as well. Our story is a microcosm of American Jewry everywhere, and even includes elements of worldwide Jewish migration patterns, AND the stories of all minorities in this country. You might be surprised to learn how they all overlap, intertwine, and share themes.
So, whether or not you personally were born in Chester, or have family from there, this is YOUR story too! Our Centennial is an opportunity to look back at our incredible history, and how we’ve been present to some pivotal moments in the history of our entire nation. But it’s also a chance to see yourself in that history, to understand how it reflects your life, your story… and hopefully, your future. And if that isn’t enough to entice you, I’ll also divulge that there are some CRAZY, HBO-worthy anecdotes in there that you DON’T wanna miss!!
And you can learn all about our wonderful and turbulent past, every first Thursday at noon, over a delicious (and most-popular) slice of mushroom-and-onion pizza!
Sincerely,
Rabbi Gerber
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