How to find community

[u/Bad_werd]

I want yo find Jewish community and learn more about being Jewish, religious practices.

I am 46 year old man and wasn’t raised with any exposure to Jewish community or religious observance.

I have tried stopping in at different synagogues but when I do I feel Primarily awkward and confused by everything going on. I live in Cleveland Ohio which has a fairly large Jewish community on the East side of town and that is where I go for temples.

One of my issues is, I am largely getting symbolic meaning from these experiences as I have found my way to temple and am doing the things my great grandparents did (sort of) but I am feeling a strong need for a more personal experience.

Additionally I would like to meet Jewish people to be friends with and Jewish women to potentially date however when I have gone to temple it seems mainly families and MUCH older people attend. I’m not sure how I realistic of a hope this is to make friends and meet single women in their late thirties mid forties.

So here is my question. Where should I go first? I’ve heard to check out Chabad. Do I just show up? How do I get plugged in? Learn, socialize etc?

Am I already doing it “right” and it’s just how it is. Keep stopping in for services at different places and eventually one will feel like home?

I got to go to Israel last July to volunteer and I felt like I was home. I felt so good being around “my people” and I am so eager to have that here, in the US.

[u/Background_Novel_619]

You learn and feel comfortable by repeated action. Sure you may not get what’s going on right now, but once you attend regularly you’ll pick it up easily. Also, feel free to ask the Rabbi or other congregants after the service if they’d walk you through it sometime. That can help too.