Who Are the Rabbis That Changed Your Life?
Rabbi Joseph Potasnik provided counseling to those mourning at Ground Zero shortly after 9/11. Illustration: Kurt Hoffman
Last winter when we asked readers to tell us about the rabbis who inspire them, we were overwhelmed by stories of individuals like Rabbi Joseph Potasnik who provided counseling at Ground Zero shortly after the twin towers came tumbling down and Rabbi Ellen Lippman who helped a person new to Judaism find a spiritual and communal home.
We named 36 of these individuals America’s Most Inspiring Rabbis.
But these remarkable stories represent only a fraction of the rabbis around the country impacting their communities in profound ways. So this year we are asking again. Tell us about the rabbis who have changed your life, the life of your family or community. Whether it’s a rabbi who stands behind a pulpit, sits in a hospital waiting room with a family, or leads an unforgettable Jewish camp, share your stories here by February 19th.
We will publish the most compelling entires next month when we name America’s Most Inspiring Rabbis 2014. Here are snippets of a few we have already received:
Providing comfort, even in the midst of war:
___|___|__ entered the rabbinate with the sole purpose of becoming a military chaplain, and he served for 25 years in the Navy and the Marines. The glory he sought was to bring Judaism and spirituality to our troops overseas, often following them into the field and conducting “Shabbat” services regardless of what day of the week it was.
Helping a community mourn and grow stronger:
On a recent Shabbat afternoon, in the shadow of disappointment surrounding the thwarted gun reform legislation, a group of concerned locals gathered on a street in St. Louis notorious for gun violence. They stood together and named each of the 46 children who died from hand guns on that very corner. They stood together with Rabbi ___|___|_, who weeks earlier had marched in the same place with a local Palestinian grocer, who opens his store to kids as a safe haven and with the neighborhood minister, who was once a drug lord on the street.
Offering education without judgment:
I was completely unaffiliated with no Jewish education. I became interested in Judaism when my wife became pregnant with our first child, but did not feel comfortable in shul due to my lack of knowledge. I not only did not know how to daven, but I could not even read Hebrew. Rabbi___|___|___|_’s outreach program, provided a place where I not only felt comfortable, but was able to learn and ask questions.…I was someone who could have easily been lost to assimilation. He is one of only three people outside my family who has had a profound impact on my life.
Allowing each congregant to connect to Jewish tradition in their own way:
___|___|___|_ has taken two synagogues, merged them into one, with a new name. On Shabbat there is an early mystic minyan, a regular service, a torah yoga service, a discussion group. Congregants choose to go where they wish, and at the end, everyone gathers for a healing service and a Ruach rally.
Click Here To Nominate a Rabbi!
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
