The Center for Small Town Jewish Life at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, is working to strengthen rural synagogues and Jewish communities across the country. Rabbi Rachel Isaacs, executive director of the center, spent the days leading up to Passover overseeing the preparation of ceremonial foods at Beth Israel Congregation, a synagogue in central Maine where membership has quadrupled over the last 15 years. Now, she is leading a movement to strengthen rural synagogues, reaching dozens of communities and hoping for many more.
Isaacs said that “rural Jewish life is important for the Jewish people and it’s important for rural America. Those people deserve to be served and shepherded.”
The center began a decade ago and has grown to run programs for more than 60 communities in 22 states. Isaacs said a little less than 2.4% of Americans are Jewish, with one in eight living outside a major urban area.
According to data compiled by Alanna E. Cooper, a Jewish studies professor at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, there are roughly 20% fewer synagogues in America than there were in 1990. The trend is even more pronounced in rural America, where aging populations and the relocations of residents has hit congregations hard.
The outreach to rural synagogues is also happening as Jewish Americans confront a rising tide of antisemitism. The Anti-Defamation League noted a nearly 900% increase in antisemitic incidents for the decade ending 2024. Some of the states with a high rate of incidents include largely rural states like Maine, New Hampshire and Wyoming, the ADL’s report said.
Isaacs said that the center’s work can help reverse that trend, stating, “You have more Jews that experience joy, who can locate strength, form connections with other Jews across the country and around the world. In a world of rising antisemitism it’s more and more important that Jewish communities are joyful, strong and connected.”
The center assists congregations through three strategies: a two-year mentorship program called Makom for rabbis, training lay leaders to lead prayer, and board leadership coaching. Rabbi Lisa Rappaport, who leads Congregation Beth Israel in Chico, California, said the Makom program lifts up rural rabbis to that challenge.
Jeff Lovitz, a synagogue member in Waterville, said, “We’ve been here since the early ‘70s. Our kids went to Hebrew school here. I think it’s important to have a Jewish community in Waterville.”