Membership stabilizes as Long Island synagogues create new programs

Membership and participation at Long Island synagogues, which had declined for decades as the region's Jewish population steadily disappeared, has stabilized in some areas as temples craft new programs and approaches to attract young families.

Rabbis at several Long Island temples told Newsday they expect big crowds, including families with young children — a key demographic in maintaining membership — beginning this weekend for Rosh Hashanah services celebrating the Jewish New Year. 

Rabbi Jodie Siff of the Reconstructionist Synagogue of the North Shore, said 14 new families are starting there during the 2023 High Holiday season, a 10-day period that concludes with Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement, later this month. 

Membership at the Plandome synagogue has remained steady, with about 330 families and 120 students in its Hebrew school, in part through an open-door policy that encourages socialization, small peer-led group initiatives and a greater sense of community belonging.

"We're constantly evolving, and our hope is that that's what's reaching people," Siff said.

Stephanie Barchi of Port Washington is among the new members at the Reconstructionist Synagogue, joining recently with her husband and young daughter.

"When we moved to Port Washington in 2021, we wanted our daughter to get involved in Hebrew school and learn about holidays and her Jewish roots," Barchi said. "We went to a few holidays at RSNS before joining this past year. ... We loved the sense of community."

Several area temples said they have seen membership grow or remain steady in recent years — defying a trend from years earlier — in part by breaking with traditional models that no longer attract young families in the same way.

Stuart Botwinick, executive director of Temple Beth-El of Great Neck, said its ranks have grown through a more culturally diverse membership, including Persians, Israelis and Russians, along with more seniors, singles and those from outside the village. The temple, he said, was previously comprised of largely Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern European descent.

"Today, being actively Jewish is a choice," Botwinick said. "People no longer do things because 'that’s what Jews do.' Being Jewish must have a personal and positive impact on their lives."

The number of synagogues on Long Island boomed in the 1950s and 1960s as many Jews migrated from New York City to the suburbs. But now many from that generation are aging or have died and replacing them with younger Jews has been a challenge.

The Syosset-based UJA-Federation of New York has said the population of affiliated and unaffiliated Jews on Long Island dropped from 408,000 in 1981 to about 301,000 at the turn of the century.

That number has remained steady, with Long Island's population of about 300,000 Jews ranking fourth nationwide, behind New York City, Los Angeles and southern Florida, according to Brad Kolodny, president of Jewish Historical Society of Long Island. Roughly 40% of Jewish households in Nassau, and 37% in Suffolk, are synagogue members, according to data collected in 2021 by the UJA-Federation.

Amid declining membership in recent years, synagogues across Long Island were forced to close, merge with other temples or rent out space to outside groups to stay alive.

In 2018, Temple Emanu-El in East Meadow shut its doors, merging with Temple B'Nai Torah in Wantagh — which itself was formed through a merger of the Suburban Temple in Wantagh and the Massapequa Jewish Center.

Five years later, membership at Temple B’nai Torah is thriving, in part because of its outreach to families with young children, including those not as religious as the previous generation, said Rabbi Daniel Bar-Nahum.

"We're seeing record numbers in our young families and our synagogue numbers are stable," Bar-Nahum said."All our grades third and younger have had to be split due to the high number of children enrolled. We are excited about what this means for the new year and beyond."

Rabbi Anchelle Perl of the Chabad of Mineola said many Long Island synagogues have also become more adaptable with their membership models, offering reduced or delayed fees to attract new families.

"You've got to rethink the whole approach to the role of the synagogue," Perl said."There has to be a most welcoming atmosphere where everybody feels welcome from the moment they walk in. And it's not based on if you're a member or not … You can't just simply open the door and expect people to walk in. Those days are finished."

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.