Great Barrington and Lenox — Hevreh of Southern Berkshire will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a concert at the Duffin Theater in Lenox on Sunday, June 29, at 3 p.m.
The concert, entitled “Welcome Home: A Concert Celebration of Jewish Life in the Berkshires,” will include performances by Kol B’Seder (AKA musicians Jeff Klepper and Dan Freelander), Julie Silver, Peri Smilow, Doug Mishkin, Merri Lovinger Arian, and Ramie Arian.
The congregation started in 1975 at 15 North Street in Great Barrington and now has over 400 members. “Why do I think Hevreh has lasted for 50 years? It’s because Hevreh formed around the idea of reform Judaism, and creating a community that saw itself as a spiritual laboratory,” Hevreh Senior Rabbi Jodie Gordon told The Berkshire Edge. “With our congregation, there has been something compelling and meaningful that has kept people connected across the generations. We are at a point where we are now seeing our third-generation members, people whose grandparents were founding members of the congregation, raise their children in the Berkshires.”
Gordon explained that another factor that has contributed to the congregation’s longevity over the last half century is its leadership. “Hevreh was started by a group of local members of the community who all wanted to be a part of something,” she said. “The community grew and as time went on, the congregation looked for a rabbi and professional leadership. Our Rabbi Emerita, Deborah Zecher, was here for 22 years. We consider ourselves a singing congregation because music is so core to our identity, and that is because of her leadership.”
Musician Peri Smilow is Hevreh’s artist-in-residence. “My family has been connected to the Berkshires since my mother came here in 1946,” said musician and Hevreh of Southern Berkshire artist-in-residence Peri Smilow. “While we haven’t lived here full time, Jewish life, and Hevreh in particular, has played an important role in my life. Being part of Hevreh for the last three years as the artist-in-residence has brought comfort, joy, and meaning.”
“Hevreh has connected a sense of community where everyone feels connected,” Rabbi Gordon said. “This is not a place where you go do Jewish activities and then you leave. We are all connected, both in people’s homes and out in the world. That sense of connection is essential.”
“Our community is connected internally and spiritually, but also externally,” Smilow added. “Many of our members are very deeply involved and engaged in life in the Berkshires. Many of our members serve on boards of nonprofit organizations or are running for office. It’s a loop that allows people to live integrated lives of meaning, purpose, joy, and happiness.”
In its mission statement listed on its website, the organization states, “We boldly live Jewish values, to uplift, enrich and transform the lives of all we touch.”
“Right now in today’s society, organized religion by affiliation is not the same as it was 75 years ago,” Rabbi Gordon said. “When we ask, ‘What does it mean to live boldly through our Jewish values?’ To me, you make it matter by making it participatory. The synergy between leadership and community, and the openness between them, has characterized these past 50 years. We are upholding the Jewish values of ‘tikkun olam,’ which is trying to make the world a better place. We have done this through our work with nonprofits Construct Inc., People’s Pantry, Berkshire Bounty, and BASIC Berkshires. When I am at the sanctuary or around a meeting table, I find myself saying that our work isn’t supposed to end at our congregation’s door. The whole purpose of what meaningful Jewish life can be is to have something to take out into the world with you to guide you in your everyday life. We work hard to achieve that.”
As for the concert itself, Smilow said that many of the performers started their Jewish lives in the Berkshires at URJ Eisner Camp. “And I don’t think it’s an accident that an enormous number of retired Rabbis are choosing to retire and live in the Berkshires full time,” Smilow said. “This concert and celebration is an outgrowth and a natural reflection of giving back to the community. We, at Hevreh, benefit from that.”
“I think that what makes Jewish life in the Berkshires unique is that we are all surrounded by natural wonder,” Rabbi Gordon added. “There is a quality of life that you can achieve here that is different from what you can find living in a city. People move to Berkshire County because, to them, it’s their happy place and spiritual home.”
Click here to purchase tickets for the June 29 concert.
For more information about Hevreh of Southern Berkshire, visit the organization’s website.
