Rabbi Natan Asmoucha: "The ongoing support has been incredible.".

Since September, Rabbi Zvi Fisher, a graduate of the Beren-Amiel Program for Educators, has been directing the Light House, an informal meeting place for hundreds of Jewish students in Montreal. “We offer free informal programs, classes and Shabbatonim for students from all the local universities,” explains Fisher, a Montreal native. “I teach on many different levels for students from a wide range of backgrounds – from alumni of Israeli yeshivot to people with no Jewish background at all.” Zvi also spends a good deal of time on campuses, running “lunch and learn” sessions and meeting students at Hillel houses.

“Beren-Amiel taught me a lot about how to approach students and interest them in Jewish programming,” he says. “I also learned how to prepare and present classes, and got many ideas for programs from Beren-Amiel.” A key element of both Beren-Amiel and Straus-Amiel is continuing to provide support and assistance for graduates as they work in Diaspora Jewish communities. “My teachers call me and try to help me as much as they can,” says Fisher. “I feel like I’m not alone – I can always be in touch with them when I have a question or a problem.”

Beren-Amiel graduate Meir Klein, who is now heading the Jewish Learning Initiative at Cornell University, comes to his new position after spending two years as an educational emissary in Des Moines, Iowa. The Israeli-born Klein credits OTS with helping him develop skills for public speaking – and especially for relating to audiences with limited Jewish knowledge. In addition, he says, he feels prepared for navigating the often-complicated machinations of Diaspora Jewish communities. “When I started in Des Moines, it was much easier for me to locate the needs and issues of the community – and know how to steer clear of internal politics – than it was for my friends in similar positions who hadn’t received this training,” he reveals. “In general, the program did an excellent job of exposing us to the different attitudes of people in the Jewish world.”

Skills for Reaching Every Community

Preparation received from the Straus-Amiel Program for Practical Rabbinics is easing the transition of Rabbi Natan Asmoucha, a native of Vancouver, Canada, between two very different positions that span the extremes of the Jewish world. Before recently becoming minister of the Spanish-Portuguese synagogue Shaare Shamayim in London, one of the oldest functioning synagogues in England, Natan spent the four years after his graduation as the rabbi of the only synagogue in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. “The ongoing support has been incredible,” he says. “Even the director, Rabbi Eliyahu Birnbaum, came to Zimbabwe to provide me with guidance and encouragement. OTS really takes an interest in its graduates and knows how to help us in our work.”

While navigating the politics of a large Jewish community with many rabbis, synagogues and organizations is a new experience for him, Asmoucha stresses that his former congregation and current one share many similarities. “Despite the cultural differences between communities, in both places, people are very committed to their kehilla and their synagogue, and they are eager for Jewish learning,” he says.

Being the Rabbi… and More

A new Straus-Amiel rabbi on the African continent is Hillel Lev-Tzion, who has become the third consecutive OTS graduate to serve the Hebrew Congregation of Port Elizabeth, South Africa. “There is a rejuvenation of Judaism happening now across South Africa,” says Lev-Tzion, originally of Queens, New York. To increase that momentum, the rabbi is reaching out to young people through appealing educational and social activities, encouraging them to take on active roles in the community.

Lev Tzion is also introducing a model curriculum on Jewish Ethics into Port Elizabeth’s Jewish School – which, despite its name, has only 40 Jewish youngsters out of 400 students. “The entire school will study the Jewish view of different values, so that the Jewish children will not feel like outsiders, despite being in the minority,” he explains.

As he makes inroads in these sensitive areas, the rabbi points to Straus-Amiel’s emphasis on developing interpersonal skills as one of the most important parts of his training. “Among other things, the program prepared me for the rabbi’s role as a diplomat,” he stresses.

Straus-Amiel graduate Rabbi Nachman Bruce, an Australian who recently became spiritual leader of Congregation Ohav Zedek in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, adds that he has been primed for other auxiliary roles as well. “A pulpit rabbi must be prepared to act as counselor, social worker, doctor, financier and more,” he states. Although this is Bruce’s second rabbinical position – he previously served for three years in Worcester, Massachusetts – he still turns to Rabbi Riskin and Rabbi Birnbaum when faced with rabbinical dilemmas. “My continuing connection with OTS actually becomes more important to me as time goes on,” he says.

< Back