Rabbi Stanislav Flaks: Keeping the flame burning.

Rabbi Stanislav Flaks, the first full-time rabbi to serve Krakow, Poland since the Holocaust, took up his challenging post in September. Together with his wife, Michal, Flaks is striving to revive the rich Jewish past of a community that was practically wiped out in the Shoah and repressed in the decades of communism that followed.

“There were 157 people officially registered with the Krakow Jewish community,” explains Flaks, “but an estimated 1,000 more Jews are believed to live here, mainly people who only discovered their Jewish background after the fall of communism in 1989. There are young people who were only recently told by parents or grandparents that they are Jewish. They want to learn about their history, their heritage, so there is a tremendous need for activities, classes and programs for people of all ages, in order to rebuild a spiritual and cultural Jewish identity, and keep the flame of Judaism burning.”

Rabbi Flaks is up to this enormous challenge, thanks to the training he received at OTS’s Joseph Straus Rabbinical Seminary. “My studies in the seminary’s Amiel: Rabbi Emanuel Rackman Practical Rabbinics Program provided me with a sense of obligation to my fellow Jews around the world, as well as the tools I’ll need to accomplish the goal of reaching out to them,” relates the dynamic 38-year-old. “I want to enable the Jews of Krakow to know what a Jewish community is, to identify themselves as Jews, and to experience a level of Judaism that does not exist there today.”

All in all, 35 Joseph Straus Rabbinical Seminary rabbis took up posts around the world this year, in communities throughout the United States, South America, Australia, Southern Africa, Europe, Russia, and even China. An additional 11 graduates of the seminary’s Yachad Program are working as “Jewish Renewal Facilitators” in community centers throughout Israel, where they are involved in reaching out to their secular Israeli peers, exposing them to their rich Jewish heritage in an open and non-coercive manner. “No matter where they are around the world,” says Rabbi Riskin, “in Israel or in the Diaspora, our rabbis are engaging and inspiring Jews of all backgrounds and ages to explore their history and their culture and to see Judaism as something meaningful and relevant to their lives.”

Rabbis who opt to go abroad are placed in their new communities by the Straus placement officer, Rabbi Eldad Zamir. “We never abandon a community,” declares Zamir, “no matter how isolated it is or how challenging the work may be. That is one of the things that makes us unique.”

Another distinctive facet of the Straus Seminary is the support offered to its graduates every step of the way, no matter where in the world they may be. “We keep in touch with everyone,” states Zamir, “via email correspondence and newsletters, phone calls and regular visits.” In addition, the Straus faculty organizes frequent regional seminars [see box], as well as a large annual conference in Israel for all of its graduates. “It offers the rabbis tremendous peace of mind to know that there is always someone to turn to with questions or problems.”

"Making Judaism a living, compelling aspect of life" - Rabbi Natan  Levy (center)

Zamir’s statements are confirmed by recent David Falk Kollel semicha recipient Rabbi Natan Levy, the newly-appointed University Chaplain for the Western Region of England. Levy and his wife, Ariella, jumped at the opportunity of taking part in what they term “the unending task of making Judaism a living, compelling aspect of the lives of university students.” Levy relates that both he and Ariella initially came to Israel knowing little about their own Jewish roots. “Our experiences there and our intense studies were an opening into the 3,000 year old current of Jewish tradition,” he shares. “As a result of our own encounters, we wanted to impart the excitement to others, and to create a dynamic and vibrant Jewish awareness amongst the students here.” The Levys’ methods include integrating Jewish learning with creative explorations of modern issues, self-expression, and hands-on projects, such as Nature Treks featuring Torah learning.

In addition, the couple’s home in Bristol remains open to all students regardless of background or affiliation for Shabbat meals, classes, and informal discussions. “It’s not an established Orthodox community by any means,” says Levy. “It’s difficult to get a minyan together on Shabbat, let alone the rest of the week. What allows me to continue is my connection to the rabbis and teachers at the Straus Seminary. I am on the phone with Rabbi [David] Fink and Rabbi [Menachem] Schrader at least every week, and the time that they take to answer my questions, offer their advice and generally lend me a hand is invaluable.”

 

The Personal Approach

Another Straus Seminary graduate in England, Rabbi Aviad Tabori, is the current spiritual leader of the young, unaffiliated community of Alei Zion in London, while at the same time serving as the Bnei Akiva emissary to the United Kingdom. Tabori’s days are filled visiting college campuses, giving classes and organizing activities and events in order to create a positive Jewish atmosphere for the students. “To properly expose these kids to Jewish values and to Zionism, it’s very important to understand them and to be someone to whom they can relate,” he says. At the same time, he and his wife, Deborah, also espouse the personal approach favored by Natan and Ariella Levy for promoting Jewish continuity amongst unaffiliated Jews. “We always invite people over to our house for Shabbat meals,” he relates. “It’s the best way to get to know them, to expose them to the warmth of Judaism, to engage and encourage them to get involved in their community, and to bring them closer to their roots and their heritage.”

“This is where the academic courses of the George Weinstein Semicha University Program come into play,” explains Rabbi Riskin. “Classes in Human Behavior or a course in Community Organization and Change better prepare our students to engage individuals and communities at large, enabling them to approach each situation and utilize each encounter to its fullest,” he states.

 

Closer to Home

Aryeh Engleman officiates  at his co-worker's wedding.

Like their counterparts abroad, graduates of the Straus Seminary’s Yachad Program are also busy exposing fellow Jews to their rich Jewish history and culture – but in Israel. As part of an agreement with the Israeli Community Center Company, 11 OTS “Jewish Renewal Facilitators” are serving communities from Herzlia to Binyamina to Katzrin to Tel Aviv. In addition to the successful life-cycle and holiday programs that they run for the communities, they have effected a noticeable change in attitude amongst their secular co-workers, as well. For example, Yachad Program director Rabbi Gedalia Peterseil reports that the community center in Ariel has been so impressed with Noam Kriegman’s work that they are investigating the rental of a separate building, which they will call “Bayit Yehudi” (“The Jewish House”), specifically to accommodate all of his Jewish Renewal and Heritage Awareness projects. In addition to running programming there, a library will be assembled, so that the house can also serve as a resource center, as well as a “hangout” for local youth. In the personal field, Aryeh Engleman’s positive impact on his Petach Tikva Community Center colleagues has been so great that he was recently asked by a co-worker to officiate at her wedding. The bride – avowedly secular – was so opposed to the local rabbinate and anything smacking of religion that she and her fiancé were planning a civil wedding in Cyprus. “But once she was exposed to an open, tolerant brand of Judaism, as espoused by Engleman,” relates Peterseil, “she realized the importance of her culture and heritage and asked him to perform a religious ceremony.”

Ultimately, no matter what language they are speaking or which continent they are serving, graduates of the Joseph Straus Rabbinical Seminary, armed with the tools they received in the various Straus preparatory programs, are making an incredible impact in the march toward Jewish continuity and unity.

 

An Englishman in New York The new face of Lincoln Square Synagogue in Manhattan belongs to Englishman Rabbi Shaul Robinson. Robinson, his wife, Sarah, and their six children arrived in their new home in September and are busy assuming their positions and familiarizing themselves with their new and exciting community. “We received a very warm welcome here,” relates Rabbi Robinson. “Sarah and I feel truly privileged to have been offered this amazing opportunity.” Rabbi Robinson’s role as the new rabbi of LSS includes leading the community and pioneering its growth. His past experience includes serving as the first-ever full-time rabbi for Jewish Students at Cambridge University in England, performing as the spiritual leader of Barnet Synagogue in London, the director of the Centre for Rabbinic Development and the Executive Director of “Encounter,” the largest Adult Education event in the UK. Fortunately, Robinson undertook each of these endeavors with the knowledge that he had been prepared over the course of seven years of learning at OTS’s Yeshivat Hamivtar Orot Lev and Joseph Straus Rabbinical Seminary. “At the Straus Seminary, in addition to our learning, we were also trained in the art of practical rabbinics,” Robinson explains. “Our rabbis and teachers emphasized the importance of being able to work with Jews of all kinds and that’s a skill the rabbi of any synagogue needs. This shaped my worldview and made me into the rabbi I am today. In addition to a love of Torah and mitzvot, you must also have a love of your fellow Jew.” Robinson is not alone in leading his new community; his wife, Sarah, an alumna of Midreshet Lindenbaum, is playing a substantial educational role in the community, just as she did in England. “We are so proud of Rav Shaul and Sarah, and we know that with their enormous talents and motivation they will have a tremendous impact on the New York Jewish scene,” says Rabbi Riskin. “I also find it gratifying that Rav Shaul, who received his semicha certification from the seminary named by Gwendolyn Straus in memory of her husband, Joseph Straus, is in a sense closing a circle by serving the community of which Gwendolyn, z”l, was such an active member.” When asked how he feels about following in the large footsteps of Rabbi Riskin, the founding rabbi of LSS, Robinson responds: “I feel very humbled, but very excited at the same time. Rabbi Riskin has been inspiring, encouraging and extremely supportive. I hope to take what I’ve learned and make Lincoln Square a community with a future as illustrious as its past.”

 

 

Into Africa On the Shabbat following Simchat Torah, the Joseph Straus Rabbinical Seminary sponsored a seminar for its Jewish spiritual leaders in Southern Africa. Rabbi Doron Peretz, who has been the rabbi of Mizrachi South Africa for the past six years, was highly instrumental in coordinating the get-together. “I view my mission as rebuilding the strong sense of Torah identity with a Zionist and Centrist orientation that has traditionally characterized the South African community,” he says. “My studies at Ohr Torah Stone greatly prepared me for what I’m doing now. It was so important for me to get perspective from seasoned rabbis on the practical and spiritual tasks of being a community rabbi before actually going out into the field.” Besides Rabbi Peretz, there are four other Straus rabbis in Southern Africa. Doron Podlashuk is spearheading a campus learning center for Mizrachi in Johannesburg, Yehuda Rosenberg, who is the Head of Jewish Studies at Herzlia High School in Cape Town, Natan Asmoucha, spiritual leader of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and Chanan Atlas of the Port Elizabeth community. They were joined at the conference by Rabbi Eliahu Birnbaum, Director of the Straus Seminary’s Amiel program, and Rabbi Eldad Zamir, the seminary’s placement coordinator. “The main idea behind the conference was to create a network between all the rabbis,” explains Zamir, who himself served as the spiritual leader of the Port Elizabeth community for over four years, until his return to Israel two years ago. “But we also brainstormed together on ways in which to bolster the growth of the Ohr Torah Stone ideology in Southern Africa, how to stem the tide of assimilation and intermarriage facing the community, strengthen Jewish identity and encourage Jewish continuity.”

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