Congregation Ner Shalom

This is Congregation Ner Shalom.

We are the only synagogue in Prince William County.

We are a congregation that supports a wide range of programs and activities for members of all ages.

We are dedicated to preserving the traditions of the past, pledged to serving the spiritual, cultural, educational and social needs of our congregation and the community in the present, and committed to providing innovative and progressive ideas to meet the challenges of the future.

We are a diverse congregation reaching out to all people and making a conscious effort to make everyone feel comfortable and welcome. We welcome everyone who is interested in participating in the lively, vibrant world of Reform Judaism. Judaism stresses community. Ner Shalom is your Jewish community, as well as your extended family in Prince William County, Virginia.

We STRIVE to build a community based on inclusiveness, where everyone is welcome, regardless of race, age, ability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, a Jew by birth or by choice, to seek religious learning and experiences, life cycle rituals, and spiritual guidance.

Arguing with g-d has been a tradition for us more or less since day one. One of the earliest examples comes from the story of Sodom and Gommorah (and no, we’re not getting into that debate right now).

Basically G-d said to Avraham, “hey, the people in these cities are major assholes, I’m gonna kill em.” and Avraham was like “but won’t that kill innocent people as well? What if there’s 50 whole good people there?”

And G-d decided that was a reasonable point, and agreed not to destroy the cities if Avraham could find 50 righteous men. “But what about 40? What if there are 40 righteous men? Will you still destroy the cities?” And Avraham this haggled with the Most High until the two agreed on a minimum of 10 righteous.

However, apparently the cities didn’t even have that so all of them died and Lot’s family ended up salty about it.

I’ve been so scared of imposing or coming across as laughably uninformed on a topic (despite studying very hard) and taking up space in a discussion. I’ve been holding back, thinking I would be getting in the way.

This is Congregation Ner Shalom.

We are the only synagogue in Prince William County.

We are a congregation that supports a wide range of programs and activities for members of all ages.

We are dedicated to preserving the traditions of the past, pledged to serving the spiritual, cultural, educational and social needs of our congregation and the community in the present, and committed to providing innovative and progressive ideas to meet the challenges of the future.

We are a diverse congregation reaching out to all people and making a conscious effort to make everyone feel comfortable and welcome. We welcome everyone who is interested in participating in the lively, vibrant world of Reform Judaism. Judaism stresses community. Ner Shalom is your Jewish community, as well as your extended family in Prince William County, Virginia.

We STRIVE to build a community based on inclusiveness, where everyone is welcome, regardless of race, age, ability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, a Jew by birth or by choice, to seek religious learning and experiences, life cycle rituals, and spiritual guidance.

I’m thinking about one of the rallying cries of the Jewish people. Our slogan, if you will. We speak it, we shout it, we sing it: עם ישראל חי. Am Yisrael Chai. The people of Israel live.

It says a lot, I think, that this of all phrases is among our defining anthems. Out of all the possibilities, this is our motto, our catchphrase, our affirmation: a simple, defiant declaration of our own continued existence against the odds.

I’m also thinking of our traditional exclamation of celebration. The classic, quintessential, go-to Jewish toast, so characteristic as to have reached popular culture through a Broadway musical: לחיים. L’chaim. To life.

One of our primary “good luck” symbols, found on medallions and amulets: the single word, חי. Chai. Life. Our “lucky number” is 18, the number with the gematria value of life. We give momentary gifts and make donations in multiples of 18: giving chai, giving life.

It’s pretty straightforward, really. We just want to live. As people, as Jews, as a community.

I’m thinking about how many ways our culture and traditions repeatedly highlight the centrality of life — both the preservation of individual lives, and the continuation of our collective life. Thinking how terrifyingly often both categories of life fall under threat. And how we still keep going.

מיר וועלן זיי איבערלעבן. Mir veln zey iberlebn. We will outlive them, sung in a field with soldiers and no escape, worst come to worst but singing out defiance anyway.

… and they didn’t survive, those singers, physically they did not outlive their attackers, and too many others didn’t either. But they were still right: we, we as a collective, we did outlive. Barely, and with indescribable and lasting loss… but we did. We’re still here. Existent. Alive. Affirming that and hanging on for dear life, as individual people and as a people.