Holiday magic alive at local synagogues and churches
Make that “synagogue” – singular.
In researching a story I wrote for today’s newscast – the research is also part of assembling my new County News Web site – I found that Quinte has very few Jews.
I mean, fewer than I’d even thought. Statistics Canada says the greater Belleville area had less than 100 in the 2001 census. There are more Hindus than Jews and far more Jehovah’s Witnesses than Jews.
I called the synagogue in Belleville, which caters to the entire region’s Jewish community, and it sounded like I was interrupting a huge party.
“Hello! It’s Jennifer Lester calling from CJBQ radio in Belleville!” “What’s that?” “Jennifer! Calling from the radio station in Belleville!” “I can hardly hear you – there’s a lot going on in the background here!”
A kindly woman named Ethel told me the party was for the synagogue’s 25 or so members.
If that was the noise level from a party for 25, I’d love to have been there if all 100 Quinte-area Jews had showed up! What a party.
Happy Hanukkah!
