Wherever we look, whether at our synagogues, schools or a host of other communal organizations, it is easy to notice the decline of many of our local Jewish institutions. To be sure, this is something that is taking place all across the United States.

We as a community have been trying to confront this problem for quite some time, though it can easily feel like we’ve made little progress.

But there’s some good news to share as well.

Did you know there’s a Jewish community that is blossoming in St. Charles County?

That’s right, something special is going on out here in St. Charles.

We have an annual Jewish Festival that brought together more than 3,000 people this past August. We now have a Jewish preschool and weekly Torah classes. And hundreds gather around the holidays, at events such as Chanukah on Main Street, Story Time @ The Library and Shofar in the Park.

Most people don’t know that when we speak of an estimated 61,000 Jews in the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area, nearly 10 percent of those Jews live in St. Charles County.

This reality, and the lack of corresponding Jewish infrastructure, were precisely why my wife Bassy and I moved to St. Charles in 2020 to establish a Chabad center.

And since then, many have approached us in trying to understand the secret to Chabad’s success in the county, a microcosm of Chabad in the region and around the world.

The answer is simple: recognizing the value of every Jew and every mitzvah, and meeting people where they are at.

The vast majority of those attending programs and services here in St. Charles self-identify as “unaffiliated.” They appreciate our non-judgmental, welcoming approach to Jewish engagement, as opposed to the “all or nothing” approach they may have experienced in the past.

This matches with national trends, as seen in the most recent Pew study, that 37% of all American Jews participated in Chabad activities and services, with a strong and diverse representation from all affiliations and backgrounds.

At the Foundry Art Centre in St. Charles is a special exhibit titled Being Jewish in St. Charles that is on display, through Nov. 18.

I invite our St. Louis Jewish Community to make the journey across the river to explore these stories and what it means to be Jewish in St. Charles.

Let’s open our hearts and minds to the often forgotten Jews of St. Charles County, and ensure their voices are heard and their needs are met.

Now, more than ever, we must be there for each other.

They are us, and we are them.

Being Jewish in St. Charles Exhibition

WHEN: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, through Nov. 18
WHERE: Foundry Art Centre, 520 North Main Center, St. Charles
HOW MUCH: Free
MORE INFO: Click here.

Rabbi Chaim A. Landa, with his wife, Bassy Landa, directs the St. Charles Jewish Community – Chabad, which serves the county’s Jewish population of nearly 6,000. For more information on the Jewish Community of St. Charles County, visit: www.JewishStCharles.org.