Shomrei Torah of Fair Lawn prides itself on its warmth and its welcoming nature. This has proved to be a winning formula for multiple generations.
Shomrei Torah was founded in the mid-1960s. The 13 founders moved from Paterson to Fair Lawn, purchased a house and recruited a rabbi. A year later, the rabbi left and Rabbi Benjamin Yudin and his wife Shevi took over. The shul thrived. The house that was the shul ultimately became the Rabbi’s house, and the shul moved into its current location in 1981.
By the time the 1990s were drawing to a close, the shul was stagnating. Young couples were not moving in. So, the lay leaders established the Community Growth Initiative Process. After a series of interviews, three young couples were hired. The couples brought people into the shul. Two years later two more couples were hired. After four years, 60 young couples had moved in. Then, a Beit Midrash program was established. Along with Rabbi Eli Belizon, who served as the head, four young men were brought in to enhance the learning program. Associate Rabbi Andrew Markowitz, who has been at Shomrei Torah for five years and leads the young couples’ minyan, said the shul now has over 100 young couples. Rabbi Markowitz also oversees and guides the youth department. He notes that there are 150 kids in the shul aged 10 or under.
Esther Bannett, along with her husband, was one of those couples that moved to Fair Lawn and Shomrei Torah. “We heard Fair Lawn was a nice place to live and that it was laid back.” The Bannetts moved into an apartment when Esther was nine months pregnant, figuring they’d be in Fair Lawn a year. “The first week we were here we got so many phone calls, flowers and candy dishes. We knew right away it was the place to stay. People were so welcoming; we knew we were in the right place.” Esther added that Rabbi Yudin and his wife Shevi embraced them right away.
It’s no surprise that Esther was embraced by Shevi Yudin. The Rebbetzin is very committed to the congregation and gets emotional when she talks about its members. She notes that she has always had an open-door policy. This has led to her and her husband being involved in the congregants’ lives, experiencing their ups and downs. Despite the challenges this can bring, she says, “I’m one happy lady and feel fortunate to have been involved in people’s lives.” The Rebbetzin added that she sees herself as part of a team with her husband, and she tries to complement him. She hopes that congregants will realize that, “I am there for them when they need me.” Based on the many invitations she and her husband receive and “good yom tov” calls, it’s clear that the warm feelings are reciprocated.
Oren Hiller, president of Shomrei Torah, seconds the notion of Shomrei Torah as a warm place. He says, “I want people to think of Shomrei Torah as a place to daven in a way they feel comfortable and are inspired.” Oren, who has been president for two years, is striving to make the shul an even better place, which means meeting the needs of the changing population. He is realistic and knows people are stressed and overcommitted. “Time is limited, so we try to find middle roads to offer programming in a way people can participate.” He offered up webcasts of shiurim, increasing programming for children and having more events during the week as examples of changes and flexibility.
Another of Rabbi Markowitz’s many responsibilities is developing educational programming. This means bringing in scholars-in-residence and planning events. In addition, there are the weekly educational opportunities including Perek in the Park. Rabbi Markowitz does one for children where he discusses parshiot and provides snacks. The rabbi views Perek in the Park for adults as another opportunity for the entire community to gather as one. These gatherings contribute to the atmosphere of the shul which Rabbi Markowitz describes as “warm, diverse and multigenerational.” He added about the shul, “It’s a place where you can come, participate, and feel part of the family as soon as you move in. Every member of the shul matters.”
For many people, Rabbi Yudin is the face of Shomrei Torah. The long-tenured rabbi, who maintains a hectic schedule, believes synagogue is for everyone and that people should be made to feel welcome and comfortable. Rabbi Yudin’s sermons tend to focus on certain themes: bringing Torah into one’s life rather than compartmentalizing it, feeling pride in being a Jew, the responsibility to pass down tradition and seeing the State of Israel as our destiny.
Rabbi Yudin is thrilled to see the shul’s fantastic revival. “The current shul was built 30 years ago. The young families who built it are now grandparents. The new families that have moved in have energized the shul. The fact that we need a larger parking lot for strollers has been a boost.” The other thing that energizes Rabbi Yudin and Shomrei Torah is the Beit Midrash program and Torah Tuesday. The latter program is for retirees who come to the shul four mornings a week (three mornings for men and one for women). Rabbi Yudin describes the program as a combination of, “breakfast, meaning and camaraderie.”
Shomrei Torah’s revival is gratifying for those who built the shul and want to see it continue in the next generation. While the mix of age groups can be challenging, it also offers opportunities for friendship amongst groups who might not otherwise approach each other. These friendships are another way of passing on Shomrei Torah’s traditions of warmth and acceptance of others to the next generation.
By Larry Bernstein
