Link to Rabbi Adler's Home Page
 | We are the first and only Reconstructionist congregation in the greater Cincinnati area. |
| Our members are Jewish couples and singles, intermarried couples, and those who have chosen Judaism on their own. |
| We live in West Chester, Mason, Fairfield, Wyoming, Maineville, Landen and other communities in and around Cincinnati. |
| We are a friendly and vibrant congregation. |
| We believe that every voice is important and that democracy is an essential part of the operation of the congregation. |
WHY I LOVE THIS CONGREGATION
--Marc Krass, a member
I attended the very first service of B’nai Tikvah, Rosh Hashanah in 1998. Before that, I had always belonged to large, Conservative congregations in different cities, synagogues that had beautiful buildings, active religious schools, huge membership lists, abundant donations of money and artifacts, and so forth. But I had always felt that something was lacking, perhaps in terms of their spiritual relevance to me, feelings of genuine community, a sense of belonging. During that first Rosh Hashanah with B’nai Tikvah, I knew I had found what I had been missing.
B’nai Tikvah is the most welcoming congregation I have ever encountered. On my first visit, an attractive suburban mother who was President of the Congregation introduced herself to me and welcomed me to B’nai Tikvah. Rabbi Donna Adler, who leads the religious school and also serves as the cantor, also came over with a warm smile and did the same. When I brought my wife, who has always been a practicing Roman Catholic, to services shortly thereafter, Rabbi Bruce Adler and others greeted her as warmly as they did me. It wasn’t long after that I found that I was approaching people I had not seen before at B’nai Tikvah and welcoming them to my new spiritual home. And three years later, many of those people are doing the same to the newest people who walk through our door.
This is a congregation of people who want to be there. Our small but growing membership is a wonderful mélange spanning all generations and backgrounds. B’nai Tikvah includes many traditional Jewish families and singles, individuals who have converted to Judaism and religiously mixed couples, all of whom share a common sense of community. While many members live in the West Chester-Mason-Deerfield Township areas, some drive many miles from as far as Northern Kentucky or small towns close to Dayton to join us.
The services appeal to me because our prayers and approach feel right to me. I think that Jews from both Conservative and Reform backgrounds tend to find Reconstructionism very comfortable and familiar. Our services include a rich mix of traditional prayer and readings in both Hebrew and English, with texts that respect both women and men equally. And to demonstrate that we are truly a "People’s Shul," we had each member of the congregation participate in the dedication of our first Torah by helping the scribe fill in one of the final letters on the parchment until the document was completed.
B’nai Tikvah’s Mission Statement rings true to me in many ways, especially the following points:
| We respect tradition, but we are not afraid to question it. We embrace the Reconstructionist position that tradition has a vote, but not a veto. |
| We favor flexibility over dogmatism. Nothing is carved in stone except our desire to build as outstanding a congregation as possible. |
| We support one another in times of sorrow and rejoice in each other's gladness. |
| We do not believe that one religion is superior to another or that one people is superior to another. But we are deeply committed to the continuation of the Jewish People, the maintenance of Jewish life, and the belief in a universal God. |
Our congregation lived that third point about supporting one another in good times and bad early in our second year. Three events occurred in relatively short order that glued us together like never before. B’nai Tikvah’s first bat mitzvah was the daughter of our President at the time, Sharon Kollasch-Schleuter. The entire congregation was invited to the service and party, and celebrate we did. Not that much later, Rabbis Bruce and Donna Adler’s son, Aaron, had his bar mitzvah, and again the entire congregation celebrated. Just days later, the patriarch and matriarch of B’nai Tikvah, Carl and Marilyn Morgenstern were involved in a terrible automobile accident that killed Marilyn and left Carl in critical condition. Our first funeral and shiva brought all of us together in mourning, to support the Morgenstern family and each other. We truly became the B’nai Tikvah Family that fall, a feeling that has only grown since then.
While not a large or wealthy congregation, B’nai Tikvah always seems to find just the right resources to meet its needs. The story of B’nai Tikvah’s journey to find a permanent home reflects that. Shortly after B’nai Tikvah was born, a number of us searched for a suitable place to buy. One night 15 of us toured an old farm-site that was less expensive and potentially could be converted to our needs. Although none of us had any expertise in architecture or real estate, each one of us had observed something about the property that was relevant to our decision-making. After each of us related what we thought, it was clear that collectively we knew enough to reject the property. Our “whole” has always been much more than the sum of our parts.
| Not much later, a 4.2 acre parcel in the heart of Butler and Warren Counties’ rapidly developing residential areas and just minutes from both I-71 and I-75 nearly fell into our laps. Essentially an estate sale, the land was being offered significantly below prevailing market rates. The land was adjacent to and across the street from some new housing developments, providing a neighborhood setting for our synagogue. But we are not a congregation where one or two well-to-do members can simply write out a big check to buy something this expensive. So a number of members pulled together and donated what they could--enough to allow us to purchase the land without a mortgage. |
| After we had plans drawn up to build a modest yet functional sanctuary and religious school, we came to the unhappy conclusion that, after purchasing our land, we lacked the additional financial resources to build something from scratch on that land. So we began searching anew for a building that we could convert to become our new synagogue. A little more than two years ago, we found an abandoned business site in Deerfield that included a warehouse with an 18-foot high ceiling--a perfect space to be converted to a sanctuary. So we sold our 4.2 acres for a handsome profit, bought the building on Lake Chetac Drive near Butler-Warren and Fields-Ertel Roads, and began the process of converting the building into a synagogue complete with classrooms, a social hall, offices, and more. And once again, it has been the vision, creativity and hard work of so many B’nai Tikvah members that has brought this vision nearly into reality. Just ask to see the “before” and “after” pictures! |
B’nai Tikvah is now approaching its tenth anniversary. Considering how its spirit and cohesiveness have grown despite the lack of a physical home, one can only imagine what the future holds for our congregation--our community--once we occupy our own synagogue building. Many of us have invested our time, energy, ideas or money into B’nai Tikvah, only to find it returned to us, our families, and our congregation many times over. This is the formula for B’nai Tikvah’s bright future. This is my spiritual home. Welcome!