Columbus Explores New Lands: Thinking Outside the Shabbat-In-a-Box

Until two years ago, a new arrival to the Central Ohio Jewish young adult community could expect to be greeted by a Jewish communal professional with Shabbat-in-a-box in hand. The two candles, matches, Manischewitz wine with plastic Kiddush cup, challah coupon and cover made by children at an area day school were well-intended, but, perhaps, not the right welcome, at least not for everyone, given the eclectic religious and social backgrounds and beliefs of young Jews today. Today, when a Jew decides to call Columbus home, the community offers them something more akin to a buffet than a single serving of Jewishness.

In the last quarter, one Jewish organization, YAD (the Young Adult Division of the Columbus Jewish Federation), regularly sponsored monthly happy hours; sponsored a professional networking reception with Ohio's Lieutenant Governor; collected Hanukkah gifts for Toys for Tots; organized two coffeehouse conversations on the topics of Jewish dating, community, and family; and co-sponsored an event for National Coming Out Day called “My Life: Jewish and Gay.”

Columbus, whose 22,000 Jews make it the second largest Jewish community in Ohio, is home to Ohio State University where a mishmash of intellectual pursuits and football culture reign supreme. While one Jew might take comfort in the respite of Shabbat, another is equally comfortable spending Saturday at a local sports bar taking in the game. Another may toil away endlessly in a campus research lab. With over 50,000 college students and an estimated 150,000 visitors to campus daily, Ohio State exists as a city within a city, adding to the number of social secular opportunities and tugging on a young adult's time. Between OSU, companies that attract young Jewish employees, and the numerous medical and scientific research centers, Columbus attracts many Jews in their 20s and 30s, and thus the Columbus Jewish Community is likely significantly younger than average, and affiliation with the community stands at less than 20%. Stimulating greater affiliation has been a perennial challenge in the face of the many not specifically Jewish allures of Columbus.

Rabbi Idit Jacques, Columbus Federation Vice President of Jewish Education and Identity, describes the dichotomy between natives of Columbus and those new to the city: “There is a strong sense of community and identity among those who have grown up here. When you grow up here, you have a different sense of the institutional nature of community. We have eight congregations; we have Jewish Family Services; there is the Foundation and the Historical Society, etc. People who grow up here get that sense of compartmentalization. And that creates the need for a unique approach to outreach.”

The biggest Jewish event of the year in Columbus is the Mazel Ball. Over 150 young Jewish adults gather on December 24th to dance, partake of a kosher buffet and an open bar, reconnect with old friends who are visiting home during vacation, and meet newcomers to the area. This year, the ball was held in a bar that was once the mayor's mansion in the historic German Village.