Kehillah RVA, an independent Jewish community in downtown Richmond, received an NCEJ grant for a Chanukah celebration in Carytown, a thriving retail district with shops and restaurants that bring people to the area. The Kehillah is led by Rabbi Patrick Beaulier (Rabbi Patrick as he prefers to be known) and his wife, Rebbetzin Stefanie Papps. Rabbi Patrick is a former rock star who converted to Judaism.
The goal of the evening was to reach people in their 20s and 30s who might not be comfortable in a traditional synagogue setting. Some of the activities, aside from the usual food, candle lighting, and dreidels, included an “Ask-the-Rabbi” booth, and an information station with printed literature about Judaism and a Judaism for Beginners class. In order to promote the event, Rabbi Patrick placed ads in Richmond’s alternative weekly (which has a reach of 79K readers) and on Facebook.
Rabbi Patrick wrote of the very successful event:
NCEJ’s grant will have a lasting impact and has enabled the Kehillah to:
- Begin planning a “Boot up” a Judaism 101 series which they are already promoting via social media.
- Create immediate interest from interfaith families in Jewish education for their children through their Family School (an innovative model of Jewish children’s education).
- Gain interest in conversion to Judaism, to the point that they had to add a page to their website to answer information.
A few quotes from the night:
“I’m not Jewish, but my wife is. It’s so nice to see things in this area that are open to me where I feel welcome.”
“I know I’m part Jewish, but don’t know what to do with that. This gets me interested.”
“I haven’t done anything Jewish for twelve years until now.”
Rabbi Patrick also writes: “No amount of words can express how wonderful our Hanukkah celebration was and the impact that NCEJ has now made in our lives.”
Chanukah in Carytown Photos
* Click to enlarge images.
Photos above courtesy of Kehillah RVA, Rabbi Patrick Beaulier, and celebrants. Thank you for sharing!
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One Comment on “Chanukah in Carytown (Richmond, VA)”
I cannot thank NCEJ enough for all the support with Carytown Hanukkah. It was a huge success because of your support. While I was never really a “rock star”, with the help of NCEJ I certainly felt like one at our event. Warmly, -Rabbi Patrick Beaulier & Kehillah