A recent addition to the St. Thomas faith community says she came from halfway around the world to serve at the second-oldest Hebrew congregation in the Western Hemisphere. Six months after she first made that commitment, Rabbi Julia Margolis spoke about the efforts she’s made to get to know her congregation and the community they live in.
Margolis, the first female rabbi to lead the Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas, said she moved to the territory from South Africa. Margolis studied for ordination there and served as a faith leader there.
After arriving in the V.I., she said she noticed similarities between her old community and the new one, not just the African-centric presence in a Westernized society. South Africa has the largest India-descended population outside of Asia, she said.
But there was one area where she said the Virgin Islands stood out, in the warmth expressed by churches and their members for other faith leaders.
She shared a recent story about a call received in the synagogue’s office before the September holy days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. “He asked what time the service was. I chatted with that person, and he told me he was from Seventh-day Adventist and he would like to attend. And I said, ‘Of course; you are more than welcome,’” Margolis said.
The rabbi added that as the conversation went on, the caller asked what language the service would be performed in. “That he would feel comfortable to call in and ask those questions, and he’s talking to me, not just the administrator or someone working in the office … It’s something that shows how much of a melting pot there is — much more than other places I’ve been.”
To get a deeper appreciation for the Virgin Islands’ blended society, Margolis said she attends festivals and cultural events. One involved the family wedding of a new acquaintance.
She came as a guest, but when the pastor heard the rabbi was there, “he said, ‘Oh. Would you like to do the service with me?’”
“I said, ‘Sure, I’d be glad to, but what about the couple?’” Margolis said. “The pastor said, ‘I know them — they’ll be happy. OK … let’s ask them.’”
The ceremony was performed extempo, with the officiants reciting different segments as a team. The wedding took place on a beach.
Once the vows were exchanged and the couple stepped out from the wedding canopy, Margolis said something happened that still makes her giggle.
“I didn’t know you could boogie your way out,” she said. “This would not take place in any place I could think about. It warms the heart.”
It is, for Margolis, part of finding her place in a place so far away from home. That home includes Russia, where she was born, and Israel, where she grew up.
Now, Margolis spends her time with parishioners who live on island and snowbirds who attend when they move into seasonal homes. There is also the daily meet and greet of visitors arriving by boat and by plane who ring the bell outside the gate on Crystal Gade.
In the outer office, the secretary’s voice could be heard saying, “Turn the knob, turn the knob …”
Guests arrive daily, she said. They ring the bell and ask if they can come in and look around. Part of her role as the new rabbi also involves conducting temple tours.
She also spends time delving into the history of the synagogue, established on St. Thomas in 1796. There is also the history of the worshipers, how their numbers rose and fell, and the circumstances that led to those changes through the years.
And as visitors come and go, the rabbi said she could see how the temple visit affected them. “In the entrance, we have a flyer saying this is a living museum, but I like to say it is a living community in a historical museum,” Margolis said.
By then, the visitors at the gate had successfully negotiated the entrance and had made their way into the temple with sand-covered floors. The rabbi pinned on a small, beaded yarmulke and made her way downstairs to greet them.
The formal installation ceremony for Rabbi Julia Margolis at the Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas is scheduled for Nov. 3.
