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Podcast: North Star with Ellin Bessner
Episode: For the first time in nearly 100 years, Belleville's synagogue can't offer High Holiday services—because no one will lead them
Description: The Sons of Jacob Congregation, Belleville's only synagogue, has been servicing the town's tight-knit local Jewish community for nearly a century. During the Second World War, its numbers swelled due to the number of Jewish soliders stationed in the area; today, however, fewer than 30 paying members support the historic institution.
They managed to keep things going even during the pandemic, but this week, despite the best efforts of their long-serving president, they announced that they couldn't hold regular High Holiday services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur—because they couldn't find anyone qualified to lead them.
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