And I am grateful every day to be part of my Jewish family.
By ADDIE GOODMANUpdated: NOVEMBER 6, 2018 00:42Mourners visit a makeshift memorial outside the Tree of Life synagogue, a day after 11 Jewish worshippers were shot dead in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S., October 28, 2018(photo credit: REUTERS/CATHAL MCNAUGHTON)
I just returned home from our first trip to Israel. I’m 45 years old and converted to Judaism at the age of 24. I was raised with Christmas but without religion. I was shomer Shabbos for 11 years and have been just Jewish for the past six.My husband is born and bred west Rogers Park. He went to Ihop on Saturdays as a child and graduated from Brisk Yeshiva, valedictorian in a class that numbered two. His brother made aliyah as a teenager. My husband went to DePaul University and worked at the J.We are raising four children who have attended Jewish and secular preschools, day school and public school, Jewish and secular camps. We are no longer members of a shul, but are guests of dear friends for every holiday meal, and our daughter has joined her University’s Chabad community. We are today’s Jewish family.As the new CEO for JCC Chicago, getting to Israel was top on my list. That the General Assembly was being held in Tel Aviv presented an opportunity just a couple months into my tenure. I joined the Chicago delegation and, at the suggestion of my Jewish Federation colleagues, invited my husband to join me. We added a few days before and after to experience the homeland of the Jewish people.Our trip was scheduled to provide a baseline. Trip must-sees included: Caesarea, Jaffa, Masada, Jerusalem, the Independence Hall exhibition, Yad Vashem, the Israel Museum, City of David, Old City, Western Wall tunnels. And more.Some of the more was Shabbos dinner with our first friends in Skokie, who made aliyah five years ago. A trip to Hebron with my brother-in-law and five beautiful nephews, where my husband’s grandfather and great uncle survived the 1929 massacre. We also explored the night life of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and spent time weaving through the Old City's alleys to find the Western Wall on Shabbat. Black hats and the hum of davening were our guides.Amid connecting with colleagues, talking with volunteer leadership, and learning about Chicago’s partner region, Kiryat Gat, my husband and I compared notes. He was struck by how, after a lifetime of being the minority, everyone around him was Jewish - he was finally among the majority. For me, I grew up connected to nothing. When I became Jewish, I joined something that stood before me, huge and incredible. I became part of a nation and part of a community. Going to Israel was an extension of that feeling. I couldn’t believe I get this, too.People said I had to go to understand. They were right. One of our Federation’s lay leaders shared with me that he feels the need to go to Israel three to four times a year, and that he now has many friends to visit. I’ve already told my daughter that she can extend her Birthright trip to spend time with our Skokie friends and my husband’s family. Yes, I understand it now.As our trip came to an end, the news of the Pittsburg tragedy broke. Emails began pouring in about security, solace and solidarity. The response was immediate and meaningful.I made a decision when I was 24 to join something so much bigger, so much stronger than where I came from and what I knew. And I am grateful every day to be part of my Jewish family.Addie Goodman is President/CEO of JCC Chicago. Addie most recently served as Chief Operating Officer for the organization. She is JCC Chicago’s 12th CEO and the first female to hold this role in the agency’s 115-year history.
