Chavurah Or Tikvah, a group of about 15 families that meets in Oconomowoc, is still diverse enough that “it is not easy” to get its members to agree.
“Some are Orthodox, some are Reform, some don’t choose to put a label on themselves,” chavurah president Sherry Miller of Hubertus said in a telephone interview. “And we’re all very outspoken people; we’re Jews.”
Nevertheless, they have agreed on one thing: that Orthodox Rabbi Brian Comrov of Milwaukee is wonderful and a welcome person to have visit the group from time to time.
“That one individual can sway us all, and make us say, ‘Wow, we can relate to this man’ — that says a lot about his character and his approach,” said Miller.
Beginning this year, Comrov has agreed to meet with the group “six to 10 times a year” to lead Sabbath services and help with lifecycle events. That makes him the first rabbi to have an official connection with Or Tikvah in its 13-year history.
“We’re very happy he’s there,” said Miller. “He’s very good at promoting discussion and very respectful of everyone’s response.
We learn a lot from him.… I can’t say enough about how kind he is to be doing this for us.”
For his part, Comrov said in a telephone interview, “I’m really enjoying this.… It’s a wonderful thing that they can have a chavurah to experience and express Judaism in a positive way.”
And he also likes the way the group’s meetings are “part service, part teaching. Everyone gets involved and asks questions as we go through the prayers. It’s a service that’s outside the box,” he said.
The shidduch came about because Comrov was interning at Jewish Family Services as part of his work to earn a masters of social work degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
He thereby met long-time chavurah member Therese Dorfman of Oconomowoc, who coordinates the JFS Pathways to Healing program.
According to Miller, Dorfman asked him to lead a Pathways to Healing service, whose worshippers included about 10 chavurah members. After that, Dorfman asked him to assist the chavurah, and he readily agreed.
Comrov is Orthodox, which means that he does not travel on the Sabbath. That means he stays overnight when he presides over Sabbath activities for Or Tikvah. “That’s a sacrifice on his end,” said Miller.
But Comrov appears accustomed to being itinerant. Though living in Milwaukee, he currently works full-time at Midwest Hospice in Chicago. Comrov also maintains a connection with his previous employer, Milwaukee’s Horizon Hospice.
“I’m living out of my car,” he quipped.
Chavurah Or Tikvah’s current members live “all over the place,” including Milwaukee, according to Miller. “People are always welcome” to its events, she said.
For more information, call Miller, 262-628-3273.
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