By Bruce Tocker, President of MOT Regional Havurah
We were three Jewish couples who had lived in New York and New Jersey and decided to retire to Middletown, Delaware and the surrounding area. We moved in the years between 2015–2019. We had all belonged to Reform or Conservative houses of worship for many years and raised our families in those settings. We all enjoyed being a part of the Jewish community.
Naturally, we wondered if we’d be able to find a similar connection to the Jewish community in Delaware. We discovered that there were a few synagogues, located in Wilmington and Newark but nothing South of the Delaware & Chesapeake (D&C) Canal near the towns of Middletown and Odessa where we had moved.
In March 2020 COVID hit. A few years went by and thankfully the pandemic faded. We had made a few Jewish acquaintances in ours and other nearby communities. We were not ready to join another Jewish congregation, but still wanted to find a Jewish group connection, like a Havurah. So late last year, we decided to see if there were others like us that also were seeking a Jewish connection.
We chose the 21st century social media route and used Middletown local Facebook pages, posting an advertisement that stated we were interested in forming a Jewish social group (a Havurah) and that if anyone was interested, they could RSVP and attend a meeting at the local library in Middletown.
We were frankly shocked but pleasantly surprised to find that over 50 people responded to our advertisement and that they all showed up at the library. We took a survey of what potential group activities and functions that they all might be interested in as members of a Jewish social group.
Some folks wanted social gatherings, some educational lectures and films, some lay-led religious services at member homes, and some wanted to visit nearby cultural sites or places to share a nosh. Many had multiple interests.
Based on all their enthusiastic responses, we decided to form a new Havurah in Southern New Castle County and name it the MOT (Middletown, Odessa, and Townsend) Regional Havurah.
It has been very exciting getting our small but growing group off and running. We’ve since reached out and received support from both the Jewish Federation of Delaware and the Siegel JCC, as well as local houses of worship. We’ve held a few planning meetings, established an executive board and various committees, and we formed a Delaware non-profit.
We’ve sponsored a number of successful events including lay services at members’ homes, lectures and film programs at a local library, and even an outing to see the Blue Rocks play at Frawley stadium in Wilmington.
We have several more exciting activities planned for the fall and are looking forward to more in 2026.
If you are in the MOT region and looking for a Jewish connection, we might just be what you’ve been looking for. Please check us out!
Ask for information and to be added to our mailing list at: MOTHAVURAH@gmail.com
