Notes from Cantor Avima

     This coming Friday night, (Jan. 17, 2025), a number of us are visiting Romemu, a very special congregation on the upper west side of Manhattan. I have visited Romemu several time over the years and have greatly enjoyed their different approach to tefillah (prayer). It has been several years since I last visited and I will be interested to see how it has changed or perhaps not changed. The congregation was founded in 2008 by Rabbi David Ingber. Rabbi Ingber was raised as a modern orthodox Jew and studied in several yeshivot. He later became a disciple of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi who was the founder of the renewal movement. Rabbi Ingber was ordained by Reb Zalman in 2006 and shortly thereafter started a monthly shabbat service that soon became a fulltime congregation. Rabbi Ingber describes his vision as  creating "a place that felt warm, inviting, open, and alive. I envisioned a community that would be fully embodied, emotionally mature, and intellectually honest. I imagined worship services full of beautiful uplifting music, deeply relevant and meaningful messages, and restorative, silent meditation.

     Almost 20 years later, Romemu is a congregation of 1,000 members known for their inspiring services, social action projects, education, openness and so much more. They have even started a satellite congregation in Brooklyn. They describe themselves with these words on their website:

"We are a welcoming, experiential, irreverently pious Jewish community engaged in spiritual practice that connects the heart, mind, and body to foster human flourishing.". 

      I have to say that having been a Rabbi's daughter and a professional Jew for my entire life, I do not make a very "good" congregant. However, the few times I have been to Romemu have been the times I remember actually enjoying being a congregant sitting in the pews. I totally surrendered myself to the experience which included healthy doses of contemplative and  energizing music, They have perfected the technique of musically transitioning from one prayer to the next seamlessly. The "talk" from the bimah is always insightful and meaningful. It is truly a spiritually uplifting experience. You can find their past services on youtube. Here is the last one: Romemu Friday night, Jan. 10 . 

     Meanwhile, we are planning our own musical service on Friday, Feb. 7 when the Ben Wisch trio will be returning in honor of the Sabbath of Song.  If you missed our service in November, I do hope you will  join us next month for a musical service. Please look for it listed in our calendar and register!