“When I moved to St. Charles over 30 years ago, I thought I’d be the only Jewish person. My son made friends with a little girl down the street and, eventually, her mom said, ‘Why don’t you come over and have coffee?’ She had a little baby seat for my daughter to sit in when we visited. I asked where she got the seat and she said at a garage sale at her temple. I said ‘What!?’ She repeated, ‘My synagogue had a garage sale.’ I said, ‘Oh my gosh! Are you Jewish?’ And she replied, ‘Yes, I am. Is there something wrong with that?’ ‘I’m Jewish, too! I thought I was the only one around here.’

That mom told me about B’nai Torah, the synagogue that used to operate in St. Charles. I joined and my daughter’s baby naming ceremony became the first in the building. It was a religious home to me for a long time. I was a president more than once and still have many friendships from the 30-plus years there. Although that synagogue is long gone, the friendships live on and many Jewish holidays are spent shared with those same friends.

I recently moved to New Town and found a house right on the canal. It has a beautiful view. It’s also close to my daughter, so it’s convenient to visit her and her family. It’s a great community, and there’s the pleasant surprise of meeting several Jewish neighbors and now friends who also live in New Town.

Last year, on Sukkot, it was hilarious because New Town had a visit from the Chabad’s Sukkah on Wheels. Several non-Jewish people were attracted to what was going on and asked, ‘What’s this?’ The Chabad rabbi was filling them in and they learned he was giving out beer and cookies. He’d asked, ‘Do you want to come up into the Sukkah?’ and they said, ‘Sure!’ So folks came up and shook lulav and etrog and got their beer and cookies.

It was also exciting in December that New Town had a menorah dedication and a Chanukah celebration. How wonderful that all this goes on in St. Charles and my family and I have a way to fit in.”

📷| Bill Motchan