Recently, someone linked to an old blog post (from the once prolific guesswhoscomingtodinner.blogspot.com) that features a very poignant article from a local Baltimore paper over a decade ago titled, “Why I Daven with the Yekkes“, by Jonathan Marvin. 

I recommend reading the article at the link above as it is also a great tribute to our revered Chazan Frankel a’H. 

This brings up an important part of community life in Washington Heights over the decades until this very day. The members of the community who came from the “outside”, whether because they were enrolled in YU, or once were, or for other reasons and settled in among “us” until they were “us”, and perhaps were more “us” than we were.  

Without mentioning names, several important members of KAJ, as well as functionaries (our Shamash) and well-liked choir members. Because I do not talk about people on this blog, I will leave it at that and discuss, instead, how this has been the result of maintaining our individuality, and, if you will, exceptionalism (-in a good way.)  

Just by having minhagim, and halachic differences, we stand apart from others in the world of Torah and Halachah. So that in discussions of a halachic sugya, our way can act as a counterpoint to the discussion- and serve as proof that Halachah is not monolithic- where it increasingly seems like it is.  

Culturally, too, the Yekkes in WH as well as in Monsey, and elsewhere, have been known to act as a counterpoint/refuge from standard Orthodoxy, that is still safely nestled within the Daas Torah camp. For this reason, many members of Monsey’s once glorious Baal Teshuvah community were frequent guests and understudies at the Shabbos tables of our expatriate members.  

This goes so far, that in the mid-90s two Baalei Teshuvah from Ohr Sameach moved into Washington Heights because their rebbe told them that WH would be easy to assimilate into, welcoming, and productive for their religious growth. One of these two young men married and remained in the community for over a decade.  

Just like Americans tend to assume that people with English accents are smart, Orthodox Jews tend to assume that Yekkes are Hashkafically astute and masters of the “middle-of-the-road”.  

So, while we may not have the title of “model Kehilla” as in the days when our numbers were strong, and institutions plentiful, some of the legend still exists, and the “students” of our shul are still out there spreading our teachings.