A Religion Major Moves to Pittsburgh

As a Religion major turned synagogue membership director, a few musings.

I have to admit I was a little nervous packing up and moving to a new job in a new city; moving away from my family, who all live within driving distance. Though just as quickly as my nerves began, they melted away as I played Jewish geography. Etan Diamond’s definition of Jewish geography serves best: “This ‘game’ of "Jewish geography" follows a simple pattern. One person asks, You're from [insert name of city here]? Do you know [insert person's name here]? The other one usually responds something like, Sure, he sits behind my uncle in synagogue..." Pittsburgh and the synagogue I work for proved to be full of uncles and people who sit behind them.

My 86-year old grandmother calls and lets me know that two of her close friends, both named Marlene, grew up not only in Pittsburgh, but within the walls of the synagogue. In fact one Marlene, makes it a point on every return visit to stop by. There is a long email chain between acquaintances in New York and their childhood’s best friend’s mother in law who has been going to the synagogue for years. And of course, there is my mother’s former business partner who grew up in Pittsburgh, worshiped here in his 20’s, and whose sister still belongs. Pittsburgh felt familiar even before I packed up the u-haul and headed west on I-76.

Theodore Herzl once wrote that one must “build your home in such a way that a stranger may feel happy in your midst!” It is wonderful, reassuring, and fascinating to this Religion major to finally end up in a workplace that reflects those values.