Profile: Jonah Richmond
Congregation Sha’are Shalom recently asked Jonah Richmond to lead Saturday morning services. We are introducing him to the congregation by way of an interview. – Paul McVinney
Jonah found out about Sha’are Shalom from Brady Holt with whom he went to Univ. of Md. Jonah was president of the Reform Jewish Community and led singing at services at Hillel. Their approach was for all Hillel members to do something: lead services, lead singing, or help organize community efforts.
Jonah Grew up in Buffalo, NY and came to UMd with an eye toward Washington DC as a good place to start a career. He visited the area a few times before when visiting relatives in Frederick, MD.
He was active in the National Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY) in Buffalo. He became inspired to play guitar after attending a NFTY event, so he bought a guitar for $50 at a flea market and has had it ever since. (The case cost more than the guitar!) He learned to play from a friend who taught him a few chords, but since he played the piano since first grade, he could read music and his guitar playing took off from there. He became the song leader for his synagogue’s NFTY events. He also taught Hebrew to special needs students while in high school.
Jonah graduated from UMd in 2009 with a major in Environmental Science and Policy, minoring in French. He interned with EPA while in college and now works for EPA in the Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Division where he processes environmental regulations.
Jonah was raised in a Reform synagogue and believes in the theory behind modern Reform Judaism. Religious practices should be welcoming and accessible. He like the stress on each person grasping a personal meaning from their participation; making Judaism work in everyday life.
His role at Sha’are Shalom is to lead Saturday services [A rotation of lay leaders from the congregation will lead Friday services.] and he wants services to be interactive, welcoming, upbeat, and interesting. He tends to play tunes a little faster than you expect to keep the energy up, keeping things moving, eliminating “dead space.”
His approach to Torah study is to interpret Torah readings with a perspective of making the world better (an environmental perspective), and encouraging social action. He enjoys Torah discussions and enjoys hearing what the message tells us about social responsibility.
Jonah is the middle of three children, with a brother and a sister. They and his parents still live in Buffalo. He spent summers on a family farm in New Jersey that raised vegetables, cows, and poultry. He now raises his own vegetables in the garden and enjoys cooking at his home in DC. His family came to Washington last spring when Jonah hosted his first Passover seder for the family.
We are happy to have him leading services at Sha’are Shalom and wish him well.