Letter: The Importance of Community

Recently, I was scrolling through my Facebook reels, and came across a video that made me pause. The young woman in the video said, “This is a day in the life of a  young professional who lives alone and has no friends.” My heart broke for her. While she was trying to highlight all the fun things she does on her own (i.e. getting coffee, going shopping) it was evident that she was lonely.

It’s hard to be alone. People need the support of friends and family to help them through difficult times, and share in the joy of good times. Places like school, work, clubs, community centers, and houses of worship can afford people the opportunity to come together and create something special and meaningful, but only if you seek them out.

A community is a group of individuals who all have something in common, whether it is their location, their interests, beliefs, etc. However, what truly makes a community is the way in which the people in it relate to each other. In a community, everyone feels like they belong. They support each other, and care for each other.

In Hebrew, the word for synagogue is Beit Knesset, which literally means, “a house of gathering.” It is a place for us to come together as a kehillah kedoshah, “a holy community.” In our “house of gathering,” we gather together to pray, to eat, and to study. But we do so much more than that; we support each other, we care about and take care of each other. If you are looking to be part of a Jewish community, I invite you to attend Gishrei Shalom Jewish Congregation’s annual picnic on Sunday, August 30 (for more details, visit our website at www.gsjc.org).

Rabbi Alana Wasserman

Gishrei Shalom Jewish Congregation, Southington, CT