“Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one.” (Deut 6:4)

Judaism is one of the main monotheisms that exist today and it based largely in the nation of Israel. The religion places great emphasis on the fact that there is but one God, who created the earth, people, and the universe in his image. The Torah, or Pentateuch, is the main book of Judaism. It consists of five books, Genesis (B’reshit), Exodus (Sh’mot), Leviticus (Vayyikra), Numbers (Bemidmar), and Deuteronomy (D’varim).

Out of the 44% of people in Jackson Heights who state that they are religious, 9.63% proclaim that they are Jewish. This figure is surprising to many who believe that there is a much larger Islamic population in Jackson Heights, but the truth is Islam only accounts for 2.57% of the religious population of Jackson Heights. Not only does Judaism exist in Jackson Heights, it thrives.

Kehillat Tikvah: A community of hope

One of the central Jewish community centers in Jackson Heights is the Kehillat Tikvah, a progressive Jewish congregation. It was founded by the Rabbi Regina L. Sanders-Phillips, and holds services and functions at the homes of residents in Jackson Heights. The Tikvah’s mission statement is to form a “congregation of individuals and families who seek to learn, explore, and sustain the teachings and practices of egalitarian Judaism from a shared local neighborhood base in Queens.” The congregation seeks to maintain a vibrant Jewish community and to ensure the Jews in Jackson Heights that they are not alone.

The Kehillat Tikvah seeks to serve as three different functions. The first is a Beit Midrash, a house of study, which serves to teach skills, values, and ethics and to foster participation in cultural programs. The center has both a child and adult education system. The second is the Beit Tefilah, which is a house of prayer, used for religious observances and holy days. Finally there is the Beit K’nesset which is a house of assembly which can foster the involvement and cooperation of other Jewish and community groups.

Each month the Tikvah hosts a Tot Shabbat, a fun, energetic program geared towards families. Tot Shabbat celebrates shabbat as a community and observe holidays on the Jewish calender.

Another Jewish center is the Jackson Heights-Elmhurst Kehillah. This serves not only to help out Jews but to provide services for the good of the entire community of Jackson Heights.

The Kehillah is located in the back of the Jackson Heights Jewish Center, a building that serves yet again to foster the Jewish community in Jackson heights and keep alive the traditions.

The Kehillah has existed for more than 35 years and is a non-profit organization. Its main goals are to provide people with public benefits, social, medical, and cultural services. It has been known to help with food stamps, housing, and Medicaid among other things. The Kehillah focuses not only on the Jewish community but also on fostering inter-group relations and benefiting the community as a whole.

The Kehillah delivers free kosher meals directly to the door for senior citizens of the Jackson Heights community. In addition, they teach lessons about computer technology including how to set up email accounts, letterheads, and other things. The Kehillah also offers free ESL classes Mondays through Fridays.

The Jewish Community in Jackson Heights thrives and thinks of itself not as a the Jewish Community, rather, it thinks of itself as just another diverse part of the Jackson Heights Community.