Book: Nassau County synagogues

The other day I came across a very interesting book at a Massapequa library: "That I May Dwell among Them," A Synagogue History of Nassau County, published in 1991. This volume of 172 pages describes more than a hundred synagogues or temples. The editors are Tobie Newman and Sylvia Landow, but the individual articles were submitted by each congregation. Because of my interest in Nassau County parishes, this makes for thought-provoking reading. For sure, the Nassau County synagogues are constituted differently from our parishes, with no bishop ("overseer") supervising things religious or mundane.

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Our parishes and the Jewish congregations reflect demographic changes. There is some resemblance to the decisions this year regarding parishes in Elmont, Cedarhurst, and Inwood. Believers arrive in a neighborhood, a congregation is formed, and sometimes many move away. In the two decades since the book's publication, some congregations have sought mergers. Other smaller orthodox congregations have arisen adjacent to larger reformist synagogues. In at least one place, a "For Sale" sign has long been posted at a temple.

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The book's title is full of meaning: "That I May Dwell among Them."