By Albert Stern/ BJV Editor
I received the keenest bit of wisdom about the Berkshires experience from a gentleman I met at a Shabbat service some 15 years ago, not long after I moved to Pittsfield. “Living here full time,” he told me, “you will find that every summer will seem to pass faster than the last.”
It’s an insight I wish I could somehow forget, as not only does each short summer indeed seem to pass more quickly than the one before, the fact that I’m neurotically aware of it speeding by seems to rankle a little bit more each year, as well.
I’m writing this in mid-August. JT on July 4th seems far in the rearview mirror and we’re barreling toward Beethoven’s 9th. And although I’ve had a busy and fulfilling few months, I find myself scrambling to cram as much culture and nature as I can into the time left before the Berkshire summer disappears. It’s a feeling I remember from my days in New York City – with so much great stuff going on that I could be doing, every evening I spend at home registers like a minor defeat. I know what awaits – that sinking feeling when I notice that first branch with yellow and orange leaves, which somehow seems to happen on the way home from Tanglewood with the “Ode to Joy” still ringing in my ears.
Certainly, the summer months are essential to Federation’s annual campaign, the time when we are able to interact with all of our supporters in person at live programs and events. But Federation’s essential work continues throughout the calendar. The intensity of Federation’s year does not ebb in the off-season in quite the way it used to. We’ve always been kept busy fostering the vibrant Jewish life of a year-round community; providing support and social services to those in need; sponsoring kosher meals and holiday gift bags; supporting our congregational affiliates; hosting holiday celebrations; and representing Jewish interests in the wider community. What changed in the last two years is that we’ve had to direct considerable energy and resources toward combatting antisemitism, enhancing security in Jewish spaces, fundraising in response to crises both here and abroad, and forging collaborative partnerships with institutions in the region for our collective benefit.
The seasonal nature of the Berkshires is what is. But something that Suzzy Fromm Shimelman said when I was interviewing her for the article on her Legacy Circle endowment made an impression. Speaking of her experience as a Federation executive director in New Haven, CT, she said, “And because New Haven was a year-round community and not a summer community, we had access to each other all year round.”
There was something about the turn of phrase “access to each other.” I guess I’d grown accustomed to focusing on the things we do together as a Jewish community, while not really considering all the things we don’t necessarily do together the way a year-round community might. Many of us go our own ways in celebrating holidays from Rosh Hashanah through Pesach. Economic pursuits may be centered outside the Berkshires. Jewish lives revolve around communities, leaders, institutions, and peers that have no connection to our Jewish lives here. Kids and grandchildren don’t go to the same schools. We don’t all have the same experience of the seasons. And so many members of our Jewish community are passionately committed to Jewish pursuits and philanthropy in places that have nothing to do with the Berkshires.
Yet during the summer season, we are a strong, unified Jewish community with a particular character and identity. No doubt most of you read Andrew Silow-Carroll's recent JTA article celebrating the Jewish Berkshires. Although Andrew is a second homeowner here, he brought an outsider’s perspective to what is special and even unique about us. The fact that the story was reprinted in The Forward and the Times of Israel (among other outlets) is testament to how interesting our Jewish lives here are to others who were hitherto unaware of what we have going for us. We’ll see whether more people come to check us out in the year ahead. I predict they will.
Federation has been a key driver of our community’s evolution. Executive Director Dara Kaufman and our board have been successful in instilling a sense of commitment to Jewish life and engagement that connects full-time residents, part-time residents, and even seasonal visitors as stakeholders who believe in our mission. With programming such as our Jewish Literary Voices collaboration with the Jewish Book Council, Rabbi Daveen Litwin gives us the chance to gather and learn together virtually during the winter month. And, as editor of the Berkshire Jewish Voice, I try to ensure that the newspaper is also a source of connection and community throughout the year.
It would be easier – and much less expensive – to produce something more like a newsletter, or even to forego a print publication for an online resource. But that wouldn’t reflect the character of the community.
We appreciate the added backing you give to the BJV as voluntary subscribers. Your generous directed donations to the paper help this Federation put out a publication that is – from what people tell me, and why would they lie? – a source of pride for the community.
So thank you, voluntary subscribers. If you haven’t yet donated, please visit jewishberkshires.org to do so. No matter how quickly the summer season seems to pass, the Berkshire Jewish Voice is one of the ways Federation keeps this community connected 12 months a year. We are very grateful for your support.