Rabbi Evan Krame wanted to create a space for the two-thirds of the DMV Jewish community who don’t belong to a synagogue, so that’s exactly what he did a decade ago this month.
A “synagogue without walls” for Jewish adults in the Maryland and Washington, D.C., area, The Jewish Studio was Krame’s effort to engage Jewish community members between the ages of 50 and 80, a population he said is often overlooked in social programming.
“[The Jewish community] focuses a lot on young people. We focus a lot on young families, but rarely does the community make a priority of programming and resources for people over 50,” Krame said. “Those are the people with more time, more money, more questions about the meaning of life.”
The Jewish Studio is celebrating its 10-year anniversary on Nov. 22 and 23 in honor of a decade of spirituality, community and interfaith efforts.
“It’s a celebration of creating an organization that had no precedent, no funds — we created a whole co-op and we thrived for 10 years,” Krame said. “We made it through a pandemic. We average between 50 and 100 people at all of our events. We have over 1,000 people on our email list.”
David Abramowitz, The Jewish Studio’s cantor since its inception, said the organization began as an experiment to “fill a void” for people who wanted something different than the typical Jewish community engagement. Those who are divorced, widowed or single may not feel included in a traditional synagogue setting that centers on young families, and can find a home with The Jewish Studio, Krame said.
“It’s important to not only celebrate that achievement but to also bring people together who have been involved with us over those years … and just celebrate together as one big family,” Abramowitz said.
The festivities include a Friday night study, musical service, and Shabbat dinner, followed by a Torah study session in the morning and an evening concert by singer-songwriter Neshama Carlebach and her band, as well as a performance by the Scotland AME Zion Church Choir.
About 100 members of The Jewish Studio will fill the capacity at the Women’s Club of Bethesda, Krame said, noting that choosing this location was intentional.
“I didn’t want to pick a venue that holds 300 people,” Krame said. “One of the hallmarks of what we do is that we’re not trying to be a huge organization. We want people to walk in and say, ‘Oh, I saw you last month. How are you doing?’ I want people to feel like they’re part of the community; not just drop-ins.”
During the event, Krame said he hopes to recognize everyone who has supported The Jewish Studio throughout the past decade and share his visions for its future.
“I just want to thank everyone who has engaged with us, whether it’s to officiate an event or just to add some meaning and attachment and connection to Judaism,” Abramowitz said.
Rabbi Menachem Creditor, a friend of Krame’s, will lead the Nov. 23 Torah study on prayer and uncertainty in life’s journey, based on the Torah portion “Chayei Sarah.” Abramowitz will then lead the Friday night service with Creditor’s wife, Neshama Carlebach, and Elie Greenberg, a former service leader at Adas Israel Congregation.
“We love him and he’s got a phenomenal voice,” Krame said of Abramowitz. “[The three] are going to create a special Friday night service with the music of Neshama’s father, [Rabbi] Shlomo Carlebach, along with some very modern pieces.”
“I am looking forward mostly to the music because, to me, music is prayer and it just energizes my soul and at least provides a temporary escape from the chaos from the world,” Abramowitz said. “My favorite part is hearing all the voices in harmony and just enjoying that ride.”
The Jewish Studio is hosting members of the Scotland AME Zion Church Choir to perform with Neshama Carlebach, an illustration of their long history of interfaith collaboration.
“This is a way for us to meet our neighbors, to form those closer ties with the Scotland community that we have seen but not heard, and now we’re going to give them full throttle with their voices,” Krame said.
In 2019, a flood destroyed the foundation of the Scotland AME Zion Church’s building, and Krame, who lives near the historic Black church, called the pastor to offer his help. Krame helped raise tens of thousands of dollars to reconstruct the church building, a project that is currently nearly finished.
“We did not just rebuild a church building; we have built ties between the African-American community of Potomac and the Jewish community of Montgomery County, meeting each other, becoming neighbors and friends, and loving each other,” Krame said.
“It’s a really nice way to come together and celebrate that partnership,” Abramowitz said of inviting the Scotland church choir to The Jewish Studio’s 10th anniversary celebration.
Interfaith efforts have played a large role in The Jewish Studio’s mission, which started when Krame visited the South on a civil rights trip organized by the Jewish Federation. Upon his return, Krame said he knew he had to share that experience with the Jewish community back home.
“It’s our ability to reach out and connect that we better strengthen our Jewish identity and our ability to make a difference in the world,” Krame said.
