“I appreciated that my parents didn’t force religion on me, but I didn’t have a clear-cut identity of who I was. I did some exploring here and there and it wasn’t until I found Chabad that things clicked. Bassy has been a great influence on me. My kids love her, even my older ones. There used to be a synagogue in St. Charles. My cousins went to it in the ’80s, but the population dwindled and it closed. When Bassy and Rabbi Landa moved to St. Charles to start Chabad, I saw an article online. My mom lives in St. Charles, so I was like, ‘Mom, there’s a Jewish community coming!’ Then COVID hit, so we didn’t get involved right away. The first thing I remember attending was a Purim gathering on Zoom. Then we came to one of the kids’ Shabbats. It was neat to see other families with small children. Being an older mom, I feel awkward sometimes, but Bassy never makes me feel that way. So when Elliot was getting ready to go to preschool and I wasn’t happy with the options, I told Bassy I was going to start a playgroup. She was like, ‘We were talking about starting a preschool!’ And The Gan was founded.

I do the academics and Bassy does the Judaic aspects. It’s funny because I often feel like I’m in preschool learning Jewish things for the first time. My son will ask things at home like, ‘What’s the bracha over this?’ or say, ‘We have to give to charity’ because of things he learns. It’s cool to see his excitement and enthusiasm. My boys are having more exposure than my girls did, but as I’m learning more, my girls have been learning more, too. My 17-year-old was saying she shared with everyone at her school that she is Jewish. I was glad to hear her expressing pride in her identity.”

📷| Colleen O’Connell Smyth