New Member Profile: Heidi Rhodes

BASICS: What are your names and any nicknames?

Heidi Rhodes

YOU: Tell us about you and your family.

My mom’s family grew up in St. Louis Park, and when my parents married, my dad’s parents moved to Minneapolis. I spent a lot of time here as a child although I grew up in Maryland. I have one daughter who ended up going to the U of M. She met her future husband here, and they now live in Plymouth with their two children. I moved here last year to be near their family. I also still have cousins from the Segelbaum clan who live here.

BELONG: What does belonging to a synagogue mean to you?

Belonging to a synagogue means having a community to rely on. I love the learning and growing that happens in a community synagogue setting that I haven’t found anywhere else. I want my grandchildren to have the experience that I was able to give my daughter through our synagogue in Maryland; to feel welcomed and joyful in a Jewish setting.

HERE: Why did you choose Bet Shalom?

I was looking for a welcoming community and felt that at Bet Shalom the first time I stepped through the door for a Torah study on Shabbat. I also discovered that my grandparents, Jesse and Ethel Rhodes, were founding members of Bet Shalom, so I knew it was meant to be that I join Bet Shalom!