Jewish Temple? (price, kosher, food)

[autobahn]

Originally Posted by autobahn

Know where we can buy Kosher Coke in Huntsville? Sounds like it is worth trying: Kosher for Passover Coke: Its the Real Thing Baby « Off The Broiler (http://offthebroiler.wordpress.com/2007/03/13/kosher-for-passover-coke-its-the-real-thing-baby/ - broken link)

My wife checked with the new Publix on County Line Rd. They said they do not carry it, but that some of the Publix's in the area do. They were not sure which ones. Anyone seen any yet in Huntsville?

[Keeper]

The one thing about Publix is they will order it for you, especially if it is carried at another Publix. Talk to the manager of the store. Publix prides itself on providing this service.
I asked about a cuban sausage I could not find in the store on Bailey Cove. They said they would order it for me.

[paulywog1064]

Originally Posted by zenjenn

Did you just move to Huntsville? I thought I remembered you lived here, (or was it just in Alabama?) for a while? Are you Jewish or just interested in attending services?

There are two congregation in Huntsville - Temple B'nai Sholom (known simply as "the temple" by the local Jewish community) and Etz Chayim Conservative Synagogue (known as "the synagogue" by the local Jewish community.)

The reform temple is bigger (about 200 families) than the conservative synagogue (about 50 families), but there's a higher percentage of active membership in the synagogue. Both have friendly people. The religious school is joint between the two congregations, and both serve as Huntsville's Jewish community jointly in a lot of ways.

You do not have to be a member to attend services at either.

B'nai Sholom has a full-time rabbi. He's... ok. Mixed reviews. Some people really like him, some people really don't. He's a little rough around the edges. Services are, by my estimate, very "classical reform". There is some Hebrew, but aside from that it has a sort of Protestant-y feel to it that I don't like. There's a sermon and you sit there and listen. There's a pipe organ. They have this protestant choir lady that sings. (She's very lovely and has a lovely voice, but it just jarrs me, spiritually.) Almost no children's involvement, even on Simchat Torah - and they didn't even take the Torah out then. I haven't been back except for an occasional children's activity. I only went once, so maybe I'm not being fair, but I just really didn't care for the service - but really, the people were nice.. the rabbi too, etc. At the risk of making Rabbi Ballon sound bad, it's all opinions - and I will say that he is one of the first people I spoke to in Huntsville and was nothing but helpful and welcoming and kind, as was his wife, and the temple secretary.

Etz Chayim has no full-time rabbi. A rabbi comes once a month or so from Atlanta and he's really great. When he's not there, the people present make the service. One particularly educated Jew leads a lot of the service, and it's very community oriented, very participatory. Even though my synagogue back in California was Reform, Etz Chayim feels like much more of what I am accustomed to.

Neither are very Orthodox. I don't think there's any Orthodox community to speak of in Huntsville. I haven't even heard mention of Chabad, though I've only lived here a few months so I could be wrong. I think there's something in Birmingham. Obviously being a conservative synagogue, Etz Chayim pays more mind to halacha, but I've yet to experience anything judgmental or anything like that. They keep a kosher kitchen at the shul but it's not the strictest I don't think most members keep entirely kosher. They won't light candles on Friday night, but the main service is still Friday night, the lights are on, people drive there, etc. Men and women sit together, and only some women wear head coverings. There are Saturday morning services, but rarely enough for a minyan from what I hear.

Obviously, I favor Etz Chayim, but like I said, it's more than possible I didn't give B'nai Sholom a fair chance. However at the end of the day, I fell in with a little group of relatively observant families with younger kids and it's just where I gravitated. To be completely honest, in the chaos of moving here, moving AGAIN into a house, etc, I haven't gotten terribly active in the religious community yet.. but I hope to. My relationship and opinion of the greater Jewish community may be subject to change over time.

Hey, I just moved here and I feel like I am the only jew in this place. I have been asking around if they have an Or Hadash or something for young jewish professionals like myself and can’t find anything. I know they were big where I came from. I did stop by the small Judaica store in the reform temple downtown and they were very nice. When I moved out of my house in Florida, I accidently left my Mezuzah in the doorway so I went in there to buy another one. The secretary was very nice, and they have a younger female Rabbi now. Haven’t been to service yet but she is on maturnity leave for the next few weeks and I am going to talk to her when she gets back and see if we can set up a Or Hadash or some kind of young Jewish professionals get together somewhere downtown over a drink once a month to meet other jews. I already have a couple of people that are down to do it. I just think it would be cool.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by paulywog1064

Hey, I just moved here and I feel like I am the only jew in this place. I have been asking around if they have an Or Hadash or something for young jewish professionals like myself and can’t find anything. I know they were big where I came from. I did stop by the small Judaica store in the reform temple downtown and they were very nice. When I moved out of my house in Florida, I accidently left my Mezuzah in the doorway so I went in there to buy another one. The secretary was very nice, and they have a younger female Rabbi now. Haven’t been to service yet but she is on maturnity leave for the next few weeks and I am going to talk to her when she gets back and see if we can set up a Or Hadash or some kind of young Jewish professionals get together somewhere downtown over a drink once a month to meet other jews. I already have a couple of people that are down to do it. I just think it would be cool.

I was actually a little surprised that there was a Jewish community of significance in the Huntsville area. I've been to both synagogues, one near Grissom High and the other downtown. I recognized a lot of people at these two places. Some of our Jewish friends met their spouse in Huntsville (it was interesting listening to Jewish people speak with a southern accent for some reason).

[Mawoods]

That always surprises many who move here. Many small towns across the south have Jewish communities although small. Sadly, as is happening with all moving away from small towns, those populations are dwindling too. I have read and seen many small towns with temples that have been closed over the years. A few years ago, there was an award winning film and book I believe called Shalom Ya'll. It was about Jewsh life in the South. www.dsjv.com. It is Deep South Jewish Voice. In the small town I grew up in Georgia, there was always a vibrant and deeply involved Jewish community. Even though my father was a minister, I had close friends who were Jewish and attended temple with them sometimes. Most of them had great grandparents who had come to the area from Russia in the 1800's. Yes, they were southern with those wonderful accents and ate grits. Best of both worlds !

[Southlander]

Decatur used to have a pretty good Jewish presence, even to the point of having...not a synagogue, but a congregation of sorts. This was before WWII. Up through the 1960s, there were probably around 15 to 20 Jewish families in town, many of them prominent in the city's social and political fabric. Now I can only think of about 4 Jewish families here, and all their kids have moved away...Birmingham, New York City, Los Angeles.

[sheena12]

I do hope that this is not off topic. We are from NY and are thinking about Huntsville.
We are a really multi-ethnic family - i am a liberal mainline Protestant but we have a relative who will be moving with us who is Jewish. We celebrate both holidays.

One of my children was adopted from Asia.

My husband although raised a Protestant is an avid student of the Kabalah. and not the christian version.

We also are Democrats. Would all of this be a problem?

[zenjenn]

Sheena, you would be right at home at Temple B'nai Sholom should you choose to get involved. Their congregation is very mixed/lax in terms of observance level, and is politically liberal. There are tons of interfaith marriages, and interracial adoptions in the Jewish community as well. Etz Chayim (where I am a member) is more observant and politically a mixed bag, but there are interfaith/interracial family situations there as well. From what you are describing I think B'nai Sholom would be a better match for you, and it's the bigger and more established of the two congregations as well.

Good luck on your decision regarding moving!

[Mawoods]

sheena12, I thought about your post when I read the Huntsville Times story this weekend about the 2 Vietnamese sisters who arrived as refugees and married good ole Al boys and very happy and successful here. Also, the story on the adopted Latino child born with no legs or arms. He is accepted and loved in a small AL town of Guntersville. I hope that stories like these will show that people in the south and AL are more open minded and loving than we are generally given credit for.There are several posters on this forum who have adopted mixed race children and I believe they have positive experiences. Good luck!

[autobahn]

Originally Posted by autobahn

Know where we can buy Kosher Coke in Huntsville? Sounds like it is worth trying: Kosher for Passover Coke: Its the Real Thing Baby « Off The Broiler (http://offthebroiler.wordpress.com/2007/03/13/kosher-for-passover-coke-its-the-real-thing-baby/ - broken link)

Earth Fare now sells "kosher" Coke from Mexico. Made with real sugar.