THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 17, 1995 TAG: 9512140182
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CATHERINE KOZAK, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 99 lines
SUNSET ON SUNDAY will find Jews in the Albemarle celebrating the first night of Hanukkah as they always have here - with family members or friends, or by themselves.
Although there is a loose-knit community of about 50 Jewish families on the Outer Banks, there is no synagogue for worship; no center for gatherings.
``It's tough,'' says Pauline Tauber, owner of Mrs. T's Deli in Nags Head. ``I wish there was more closeness to a congregation.''
Hanukkah, the eight-day Festival of Lights, commemorates the liberation of Jews from their oppressors some 21 centuries ago.
A new candle is lit each night of the holiday until all eight are burning, and prayers are recited nightly. Children open presents, play with spinning tops called dreidels and sing songs. Latkes, potato pancakes that have become a favorite crossover ethnic food, and other fried foods are served to top off the celebration each evening.
Although Hanukkah is not a ``Jewish Christmas,'' traditions such as gift-giving have become more important, says Barbara Risman, professor of sociology at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.
``It has expanded to provide for Jewish children something to do when their friends are celebrating Christmas,'' Risman says.
For Dr. Daniel Goldberg of Kitty Hawk, who moved here two years ago from Pittsburgh, the holiday is more low-key: He lives by himself and lights the candles alone.
``I usually do that - just me and my cat,'' says Goldberg, who owns the Wellness Center of the Outer Banks. ``He likes to watch me.''
For the Jewish high holidays, like Yom Kippur, Goldberg - who describes himself as a ``practicing reformed conservative'' - says he tries to go back to his family in Pennsylvania to attend services. If not, he'll pray and fast at home.
Tauber, on the other hand, has lived on the Outer Banks since 1984 and has established connections with other Jewish families, many of whom make a point of meeting at each other's homes for the holidays. Several years ago, Tauber says, there was even an unsuccessful attempt to find the funds to build a synagogue.
``Things disintegrated,'' she recalls, explaining that many of the families could not afford the initial $500 outlay required to get a temple off the ground.
``I wish they could have,'' she adds, ``because their children could use a Hebrew school here.''
Tauber, 70, and her husband, Moises, both come from strong Jewish backgrounds and have maintained their religious traditions throughout the twists and turns in their lives.
The couple both emigrated from Cuba but did not meet until moving to New York City. After World War II, they settled in Maryland, where ``Mrs. T'' owned a deli and catered lunches for the White House.
Since she moved here, her deli has become one of the only local sources of kosher and Jewish food - borscht, gefilte fish, matzo, Passover wine, latkes.
Even though there are ``quite a few'' synagogues in the Hampton Roads, Va., region, few Albemarle Jews seem to commute there for services, says Julia Cornblott, who recently moved from the Outer Banks to Virginia Beach.
Cornblott says that in the 15 years she lived in Dare County, about 40 Jewish residents would gather every holiday to share the traditions of their faith.
Yet she notes that it became more and more difficult to get people together, especially younger families that were more likely to be strapped financially - and more likely to be married to people of other faiths.
Intermarriage is part of the reason Goldberg says it is difficult to tap into a community that practices his faith. Or even to know if someone is Jewish. ``It's so diluted,'' he says.
Historically, the South has been a Christian culture, Risman says. Jews typically chose to move to more urban areas in the northern and western areas of the country.
``The percentage of people who live here who are not Christian is much smaller,'' says Risman, who is Jewish. ``We never had large-scale immigration into the South.''
But the demographics are slowly changing, Risman says, with many Jewish people now moving south for jobs.
Risman suggests that Hanukkah - which is a home-based, not temple-oriented, holiday - is a perfect opportunity to foster new networks in the community.
Although she agrees it is especially difficult in areas with no synagogue, even reaching out to a lonely person reinforces the Jewish tradition of ``mitvah'' - good deeds.
It's not that Outer Banks Jews can't keep the ideals of their religion alive. But with so few in the area, Goldberg says, it's difficult to maintain a cultural identity within a mostly homogeneous Outer Banks population. ``I could tell them that I'm Irish,'' he says.
But he says the trade-off is just another part of living on the Outer Banks.
``If I had a real drive to embrace that part of me,'' Goldberg says, ``I would move.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by CATHERINE KOZAK
Pauline Tauber, left, and her grandchildren Stacey Stumph, 12, and
David Stumph, 14, light a menorah.
by CNB