Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the home of Florence Melton. After the pilot sites, Columbus was one of the first cities to have a Mini-School because the Jewish community had been talking with Florence about it for a few years. There was already a lot of enthusiasm and familiarity with it.

The most significant changes that the Mini-School has made in Columbus has been that Jews of various affiliations have been brought together and it has become "normal" for them to associate and dialogue about Jewish life.
Eliza Delman, Columbus Mini-School Director, started working for the Mini-School two years ago, when her first child was 8 months old.

This fall, she gave birth to a new baby. "My work as a part-time director is balanced by changing diapers, doing lots of laundry, and playing on the floor," she says. Eliza believes that every teacher and director has his/her own Jewish journey. "I've noticed that we are all seekers," she says. "My own journey started out in the Reform movement when I grew up in Rochester, NY. (Incidentally, Hinda Miller, Director of the Mini-School in Rochester, drove my car pool to Hebrew school.)

As my whole family continued to learn and question, some of us have become Orthodox, some of us have continued with Reform, and our parents are supporters of Chabad. We have very interesting holidays together. Because of this background, I am personally connected to the idea of pluralistic learning."

Columbus has two first year classes, two second year classes, and an ongoing graduate class. There is a wide range of ages, with a vast majority of women. The age of the students ranges from about 30-75, with a combination of mothers of school-age children, recent empty-nesters, and retirees. Gordon Zacks, Chairperson of the Board of the Mini-School and Don Katz,
Vice-Chairperson, are also members of this very active Jewish community.

They try to have at least one Mini-School-wide event a year. This past year, they had a Saturday night movie discussion with Havdallah and dessert at the home of a student who is also the Chair of their Advisory Board.

Columbus is unique because it is small and at the same time the home of some of the wealthiest Ba'alei Tzedakah in the country.

Probably for this reason, Columbus has an inordinate number of Jewish institutions compared to their number of Jews. Perhaps compared to the size of the Jewish populationThe last census said that there are about 20,000 Jews in Columbus. Despite this number, they have three Reform, two Conservative, and three Orthodox synagogues.

They also have a very successful Chabad which is well known in every aspect of the community for their Friendship Circle program that works with Special Needs in the Jewish community. Their Kollel's classes are packed every day of the week with Jews from every walk of Jewish life. The JCC is the very stable home of the Mini-School and has been since 1988. If you went to any big Jewish event in town, the room would be filled with Mini-School graduates. "While we have so many Jewish institutions in town, we still don't have a kosher Chinese restaurant!," remarks Eliza.

When Eliza and her husband decided to come back to the US, from Israel, they knew that they had a responsibility to help Jews connect to Judaism. "The Mini-School is the ideal vehicle for me to do this," she says. "The content is not intimidating to those with a real desire to learn and the process teaches one how to question. I love watching fellow travelers on the journey."

"Since 1988, we have been very proud to host the Florence Melton Adult Mini School", says Carol Folkerth, head of their sponsoring agency. "Many of our graduates hold leadership positions in the Jewish community, and the Mini-School's impact is clear. This wonderful educational experience has helped them in their leadership and decision-making as they can apply a Jewish outlook to their positions. It has also enhanced the Jewish life of all who come and learn."

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