Views from the Southwest

by Audrey Lichter

View from JCC/Federation Salt Lake City

I highly recommend visiting Jewish communities around the country.

I have  just returned from a trip visiting 10 cities in the Southwest combining Chai Mitzvah meetings with some sight seeing and vacation. I met with Synagogues, JCC’s, Federations, a potential donor, and itinerant educators. Here are some of my preliminary take aways:

1. We live in a gorgeous geographically and culturally  diverse and rich country. The mountains, deserts, plains, of the southwest as well as the rolling hills and lush vegetation of the north are breathtaking. The Spanish and  Native American influences in the Southwest are profound and distinctly different than the culture in the Northeast. 
2. In small and large Jewish communities I visited including : Salt Lake City, Park City, Taos,  Sedona, Las Alamos, Santa Fe, Tucson, Albuquerque, Phoenix and Las Vegas… talented and passionate Jewish people are working to keep Jewish life alive and vibrant. In all these cities, security is an issue… most with guards at their doors. However, these largely Christian communities are mostly supportive of Israel and the Jewish community. 
3. Rabbis are busy and doing less adult education than I anticipated. Although we believe that Chai Mitzvah would benefit every congregation and community, it felt like a hard sell to people generally overworked and understaffed. 
4. The Chabbad Rabbi of Taos gets the award for having the most difficult life style. He has been in Taos,  a remote and eclectic Jewish community for 14 years, Due to family needs in now commutes from Taos to 770 in Brooklyn regularly – a 14 hour trip starting with driving two and a half hours to Albuquerque to get a plane. Yet, he is committed to his community in Taos, with a list of how often everyone needs a phone call or a visit. 
5. Tucson seems to be a well-run and integrated Jewish  community, They have a beautiful Federation, JCC campus and a number of congregations,  The University of Arizona boasts over 3500 Jewish students. Sedona was a delight… Rabbi Alica Megal loved Chai Mitzvah and spent lots of time with me. Sedona is also breathtakingly beautiful …in fact in the Synagogue,  the Aron Kodesh was moved a bit over center to accommodate the view of the  gorgeous red mountains enveloping the city. 

There is much more to say… but I highly recommend visiting Jewish communities around the country. It is a richly rewarding experience to witness the hard work and dedication that goes into keeping Jewish life alive and thriving.