As Passover nears, Rabbi Rachel Isaacs is working through the practical demands of the holiday at Beth Israel Congregation in central Maine, where she oversees preparations for ceremonial foods. Her day-to-day role as rabbi is tied to a wider effort she leads as executive director of the Center for Small Town Jewish Life at Colby College in Waterville: helping Jewish communities far from big cities maintain congregational life and leadership.
Isaacs said rural Jewish life matters not only to Jewish families but also to rural America. “Rural Jewish life is important for the Jewish people and it’s important for rural America,” Isaacs said. She described growth and connection as central goals of the movement, saying her work has reached dozens of communities and that leaders are hoping for more.
The center’s programs are aimed at Jews who live outside major urban areas. Isaacs said a little less than 2.4% of Americans are Jewish and that, among those millions, one in eight lives outside a major urban area. She said the center began a decade ago with a goal of supporting congregations that are far from big cities and has grown to provide programs for more than 60 communities in 22 states.
Isaacs’ outreach comes amid what she described as a broader weakening of synagogue infrastructure. She pointed to data compiled by Alanna E. Cooper, a Jewish studies professor at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, saying there are roughly 20% fewer synagogues in the United States than there were in 1990. She said the trend is more pronounced in rural America, where aging populations and relocations have hit congregations hard.
Jewish organizations and leaders also say the need for community support is amplified by rising hostility. Isaacs said her work is taking place as Jewish Americans confront a rising tide of antisemitism and violent attacks. She referenced an Anti-Defamation League report that, she said, noted a nearly 900% increase in antisemitic incidents for the decade ending 2024, including in largely rural states such as Maine, New Hampshire and Wyoming.
In rural places where Jews can be separated by long distances, the center’s model emphasizes linking communities together rather than relying on large-city institutions. In Helena, Montana, Rebecca Stanfel, executive director of the Montana Jewish Project, said the center has helped bring together the relatively small Jewish community in her state. Stanfel said that “In Helena, we have no choice but to rely on volunteers,” and that for gatherings such as a seder or the High Holidays, the work must come from the community.
Stanfel added that this approach can serve as a model beyond rural America. “That is also a really important model for people outside rural America,” Stanfel said, describing the role of community volunteers in keeping Jewish rituals and traditions active.
The center says its assistance is organized around three strategies to strengthen rural synagogues. One component, called Makom, is a two-year mentorship program for rabbis earlier in their service to rural synagogues. Another effort trains lay leaders to lead prayer and support congregations so they can thrive even without a full-time rabbi. The third is board leadership coaching that helps synagogue presidents and boards manage small-town Jewish institutions.
Rabbi Lisa Rappaport, who leads Congregation Beth Israel in Chico, California, described participating early in the Makom program. Rural rabbis, Rappaport said, often lead the only Jewish congregation in town, which she called “special” and “beautiful and it’s challenging.” She said the fellowship program made her feel more firmly supported and “validated” in small communities, where she said her work is important.
Back in Waterville, the immediate focus for many congregants is hosting neighbors for Passover. Volunteers at Beth Israel Congregation, including Colby students and retirees, were preparing to welcome about 100 people for the holiday. Jeff Lovitz, a synagogue member, said the community matters in a place like Waterville, noting that the congregation has been there since the early 1970s and that his children attended Hebrew school there. “I think it’s important to have a Jewish community in Waterville,” Lovitz said.