Tehillah celebrates long, continuous life

It’s been 18 years, and this synagogue continues to thrive from its home on Fieldston Road

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An 18th birthday is often a cause for celebration. Armed with the ability to vote, donate blood and even become a homeowner, many await this birthday with anticipation.

For Congregation Tehillah, however, there is much more to celebrate than ”adulthood.”

This month, Tehillah — which meets at the Riverdale-Yonkers Ethical Culture meetinghouse on Fieldston Road —  celebrates its 18th anniversary. The synagogue’s annual gala on Feb. 29 will not only honor its board of directors, but also celebrate this very significant anniversary for the congregation.

Tehillah leaders describe their congretation as trans-denominational. Led by Rabbi Linda Shriner-Cahn since 2008, Tehillah accepts congregants from different denominations of Judaism wherever they are in their relationship with God, fostering a community of welcome.

Quite a bit has changed since Shriner-Cahn first stepped up as rabbi 13 years ago. But she is most proud of the learning dialogue between Tehillah’s members of all ages.

“What we have are intergenerational circles of learning, which is not really all that common in most institutions,” Shriner-Cahn said. “What we’ve created is a circle where we listen across generations, and we hear one another, and are present for one another.”

To Kathy Schreiner, co-president of Tehillah, congregants are accepted no matter the devoutness of their Jewish background, or lack thereof.

“It’s about inclusivity, so everybody feels as part of this community and of this congregation, whether they’ve come from an observant Orthodox background or a conservative (background) or nothing, they feel comfortable coming all together,” she said. “It’s become a community of great people that have become friends, and we do a lot of things that are about helping others.”

Central to Tehillah’s mission is a commitment to diversity and inclusion. Schreiner lauds Tehillah as a welcoming organization that accepts all of its 70 or so members regardless of class, color or creed. Tehillah regularly participates in interfaith events and outreach — especially in the Muslim community — and a female rabbi leads their congregation.

It is important for Tehillah’s members to be seen as proponents of interfaith outreach and inclusion in the larger Riverdale community.

“There’s a Hebrew word called tikkun olam, and that’s helping others in the world (and) doing good deeds,” Schreiner said. “And so we have been very active in helping refugees as they come into the U.S. We partnered with other Muslim communities in the Bronx area and our teens over the years have partnered on the different programs with them as well.”

Tehillah’s interfaith outreach goes beyond local community outreach. At teenage board member Julian Reich’s high school, Muslim students sought to form a faith-based student association following the mosque shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, last year. Reich worked with the Muslim students at his school, helping them draft their constitution, and eventually stepping into the role of vice president despite not being Muslim himself.

“I was kind of listening from the sidelines and I decided to get involved, even though I’m Jewish,” Reich said. “I was like, ‘One of the things that was really impactful to me about going to these interfaith events is if you talk to somebody for 10 to 15 minutes, it’s very hard not to find something that you like about them or not to find the common ground.’”

Tehillah holds a gala each year to celebrate the congregation’s process during the past year, and to raise money for the temple. But this year, the congregation is taking on a renewed fervor.

In addition to celebrating their 18th year as a congregation, the gala will honor its board of directors specifically.

Shriner-Cahn attributes much of the hard work done by the congregation to this board. She is the synagogue’s only paid employee, meaning much of the heavy lifting is done by volunteers like Schreiner and Reich.

“I think we’re honoring the board, but really the board is just an extension of the community,” Reich said. “And it’s a small community, but it’s got a huge amount to offer.”

Congregation Tehillah, Riverdale-Yonkers Ethical Cuture Society, Rabbi Linda Shriner-Cahn, Julian Reich, Rose Brennan

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