|
Yeshurun Hebrew Congregation, with its broad welcoming and inclusive approach attracts a wide variety of Jewish families and individuals to its inclusive membership.
To get a real understanding of the nature of our community, and of the local area, follow the links above or just click next below for personal stories of the experiences of some of our members.
From Simon... Having been a member of Yeshurun for 2 years, I was asked if I would write about what Yeshurun means to me. As a 31 year old guy working in the software industry, writer's block was the first thing that came to mind, as I'm not used to authoring anything other than technical documents, which is something I'm sure the reader will have little interest in.
Naturally, procrastination ensued and anything from making another cup of coffee to taking time to check my e-mail, again, occurred. Eventually, a sonorous knock at the door became my saviour, with the unexpected arrival of friends.
They had just come from dinner at a restaurant and were raving about it; the food was exceptional, the service attentive and the price reasonable. With intricate detail, they described each course and how wonderful it was; the soup, the fish, the wine; all exquisite. "You must try it!" they exclaimed.
As is common in human behaviour, people often feel the necessity and desire to convince others to experience the things they themselves enjoy, with the only tool in their arsenal being their passion in communicating the experience. During this encounter, I realised that writing about what Yeshurun means to me was the same.
I could go on and on about the friendliness of the community, the devotion and passion of the Rabbi and Rebbetsin and the friends my wife and I have made in a short time. How when we arrived for the first time on Shabbat, we quickly made friends as they made the effort to meet and greet us without delay. I could talk in detail about the multitude of Friday nights we've been invited to, and the fun events that have been organised, such as the murder mystery evening and shul quiz.
However, as much as I write, the reader can only really appreciate the experience by trying it for them self. Without my visit to the recommended restaurant, I only have my friends' opinion and for all I know, it may not agree with theirs; it could be even better!
So, why not come and feast on Yeshurun's hospitality and take the time to find out if it serves up the experience that you've been craving for?
It'll be worth the effort, but you needn't just take my word for it! Simon
From Elaine and Malcolm... In 1971, when we were looking for somewhere to settle in South Manchester, mainly we were seeking a pleasant area with good transport and houses we could afford. Living near a Shul and Kosher shops was important, but we didn’t particularly consider the nature of particular local Shuls.
As it happened, by choosing Cheadle and Gatley, we also had Yeshurun as our local synagogue. When we went to the services, we immediately felt welcome and soon realised we had chanced on an exceptional community. Having been used to large but empty cathedral type shuls with Shabbat services attended mainly by the elderly and a small number of fairly observant families, we found instead lively services well attended by young, modern minded Jews of varying levels of observance, who attended because they just liked to be active in the community. Unusually, but democratically, everyone paid the same for membership and you could sit wherever you wanted. We had stumbled on an active vibrant Shul where ordinary Jews of all types could feel comfortable, an ethos which remains strong to this day.
Over the years, we’ve made many strong friendships finding genuine support when times were difficult, and shared joy in the good times – now we would hate to move away. The Shul has done much for us and we’re happy to pay that back now, for example by going on Council, helping with the great work of the Liaison Group, and joining in the security Rota.
There are plenty varied activities within the Shul, social and cultural as well as religious, but there are also other Jewish organisations in the area to cater for other needs. In our case, we joined a new Bnai Brith lodge for young couples and gained a whole new circle of friends. Our children went to North Cheshire Jewish Primary School nearby, and our daughter went on to King David High School in North Manchester, conveniently travelling to and from school in a special school bus serving our area.
As we grow older, it’s good to see new young members joining, and helping to keep Yeshurun’s unique values going for new generations.
Malcolm & Elaine ^^Top
From Diana and David
Although I grew up in Gatley, I studied in Birmingham, lived in Israel for two years and then lived in West Didsbury for a further eight years. My husband David is a Londoner, and we were actually married at Yeshurun by Dr Alan Unterman who served as the synagogue’s Minister for over twenty years. In fact I was the first bride to be “bedecked” in the newly refurbished Bride’s Room. At that time, there was a nursery on the Shul premises (now transferred to North Cheshire Jewish Primary School nearby) so our daughter thinks I got married at her nursery!
David agreed to move up from London and we rapidly became part of the wonderful Cheadle & Gatley Yeshurun community, recently celebrating thirteen years of marriage - and of course thirteen years of membership at Yeshurun.
So what does Yeshurun mean to me? It’s where I feel I belong, a place to pray & meet, and a place to get support and spiritual nurturing. I especially enjoy that we have made friends across the generation gap. Some “elders” have virtually adopted us so we feel part of one big family where we can celebrate our Judaism and get assistance when we need it. There’s a spirit of tolerance and acceptance, along with a broad variety of activities and Shiurim - we can choose to be involved at the level at which we feel comfortable with guidance, but without overt pressure or religious snobbery pushing us to become observant beyond our comfort zone.
And what does Cheadle means to us? Well, it’s where we made our friends, and where our kids find interesting activities to keep themselves occupied. The local Jewish state school just happens to be top for performance in the country, so why would we send our kids anywhere else. A stroll or short bike ride takes us to Bruntwood Park, and we can pop along to the village to find everything we need from coffee shops, well stocked Kosher deli & butcher (great for a chat!), independent shops, and some small chains (Boots, Iceland etc). We have greenery, space, and proximity to the motorway network, while being a mere five minutes from the countryside. There’s David's 5-a-side football game, and Shabbat meals with the friends from all generations who effectively have become our adopted families. To cap it all, there’s a much more reasonable cost of living than there would have been in London where we might very well have settled instead, but fortunately didn’t!
Diana
|
