Different Lives, Shared Roots – part of Jewish life in Edmonton

by Danielle Dolgoy and Josh Binnington

(Edmonton) – We grew up together.

Not in the same family, and not with exactly the same experiences, but in the same Jewish community, same Talmud Torah class. Then life happened. We became adults, built very different lives, and recently reconnected as friends.

It turns out, we are still pretty different people.

One of us is a mission-driven nonprofit nerd who can turn almost any conversation into a discussion about strategy, systems, or, if given enough time, a spreadsheet. The other is a new realtor who loves people, loves to schmooze, and definitely isn’t lacking in charisma.

Our families look different. Our careers look different. Our personalities definitely look different.

And yet, when we started talking about Jewish community, we kept finding common ground.

Maybe that’s because there is no one way to be Jewish.

There is no single Jewish family, Jewish identity, Jewish personality, or Jewish experience. Some people find connection through synagogue. Others find it through friends, culture, volunteering, philanthropy, social services, or a Shabbat dinner around someone’s kitchen table. Some are deeply involved in Jewish institutions. Others are still figuring out where, or whether, they fit.

All of those people are part of Jewish Edmonton.

But if there is no one way to be Jewish, there is also no one way to contribute to Jewish community.

So, what does our community actually need from us?

The answer is different for everyone. Some people are good at building relationships, identifying exactly what it is that someone else needs. Others organize, fundraise, advocate, volunteer, or build the systems that make sure people get the support they need. Some bring ideas. Some bring energy. Some bring expertise. And some have a particular knack for making the person who walked into a room alone feel like they belong.

A strong community needs all of it.

It also needs people who don’t always see things the same way.

Finding common ground doesn’t mean pretending our differences don’t exist. Some of our most interesting conversations have come from approaching the same question from completely different directions.

But we share some basic beliefs: Jewish community is worth investing in. People should have a place where they belong. We have responsibilities to one another. And the future of Jewish Edmonton depends on making room for more people to see themselves in it.

Maybe that means asking a little less whether people are participating in Jewish life in the “right” way, and a little more about what would help them feel connected.

And maybe it means asking not only, “What does this community have to offer me?” but also, “What do I have to offer it?”

The answers will be different for everyone.

That’s not a weakness. That’s our sweet, little prairie community.

We may never approach it in quite the same way. One of us will probably keep making spreadsheets. The other will probably keep schmoozing.

But maybe we need both.

Because community can’t run entirely on systems, and it can’t run entirely on relationships.

It runs on people: different people, with different lives and different ways of showing up, finding common ground, and choosing to build something together.

Danielle Dolgoy is the Executive Director of Jewish Family Services Edmonton and a longtime advocate for building a stronger, more inclusive Jewish community.

Josh Binnington is a realtor and community volunteer focused on building relationships and helping strengthen Jewish life in Edmonton.