Team Torah for the win

When it comes to getting people to read Torah, it takes a team. But a cookie also helps.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, there were too few Torah readers at North Suburban Synagogue Beth El. So, in 2022, the Highland Park congregation inaugurated its “Team Torah” initiative, to promote, encourage, and facilitate Torah reading.

The tone is lighthearted and engaging. There is a baseball theme, and new readers get public recognition-plus a decorated cookie.

Recently, the congregation recruited its 200th Torah reader. Gabi (Gabriel) Natenshon received that honor during the bar mitzvah of his brother, Micah.

The program also set a new community standard: reading from the Torah is expected of members. “This is what we do here: everyone reads Torah,” said Michael Millenson, Committee Chair of Team Torah.

Laura Patterson learned about Team Torah when her family joined Beth El. “I [told] my husband, ‘I like cookies,'” she recalled. “I wanted to be involved in a warm, welcoming community. But [Team Torah] was a nice entry point. It was incredibly supportive.”

Team Torah’s initial goal was to recruit 100 new readers in its first year; it reached that goal in six months. The 100th reader’s cookie came in gold foil, resembling an Olympic medal. The 200th reader’s cookie? “Enormous,” Millenson said.

Rosh Hashanah’s readers receive chocolate chip cookies. Purim’s first-time Megilah readers get hamentashen. Passover readers? Chocolate-covered matzah. Yom Kippur readers get a raincheck- for a post-fast cookie.

As with the Pattersons, many families are invited to join Team Torah when their child chooses their b’nai mitzvah date. Readers start as young as fourth grade, and read in the junior congregation.

“After one’s b’nai mitzvah , we expect them to continue to read,” Millenson emphasized. “We track who has which reading, and ask them to read ‘their’ parsha (Torah portion) the following year.

Team Torah “gets people involved in a special, holy way,” Beth El’s Ritual Director Jenna Greenberg said. She is willing to break a reading into pieces, which minimizes the number of verses each reader must learn, while maximizing the number of readers.

“People celebrate you. You feel a sense of accomplishment. You are welcomed to a fun club,” Patterson added. She looks forward to reading again in the new year: “Another year, another cookie.”