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MA NISHTANAH RABBI WEINSTOCK HA-ZEH MI’RABBI WEINSTOCK 17 YEARS AGO? BY R A B B I E L I E W E I N S TO C K
How have I changed in my 17 years at KJ? Maybe less hair, a little heavier, but just as good looking! The Upper East Side is the last place Naama and I thought we’d ever end up. I grew up in New Haven, and she grew up in Memphis. We expected to settle down “out of town� and looked at rabbinical positions in Omaha and Northern Westchester. As the saying goes, “Man plans, and God laughs,� and we ended up at KJ. It has been a tremendous blessing which will forever be part of who I am and who we are as a family. We came in our 20s with one child. Now, we’re older and wiser and blessed - truly blessed to have seen our four children grow and thrive. KJ has provided us with so many wonderful experiences and memories. My rabbinate, Judaism, and worldview have been shaped by my time at KJ. So here are some ways Rabbi Weinstock has changed over 17 years at KJ: I initially came to KJ for the position of Director of Outreach. I was excited for the opportunity to engage with thousands through the KJ Beginners Program and build upon its success. In addition to the “usual� programs like an explanatory service, classes, and Shabbat dinners, I am proud to have
gone outside the box, to think big, and maximize. We initiated the lighting of a Menorah in Carl Schurz Park, expanded Shabbat Across America to 1,000 participants, and celebrated Shabbat with the crowds at neighborhood street festivals. I have gotten more programming and administrative experience than I could ever have imagined. I sang and danced for the children at Tot Shabbat, expanded Kesher programs for young families, got in touch with my Sephardic side in helping to create KJ Sephardic, and taught the seniors at Lunch ‘n Learn. I have gotten more comfortable sharing my thoughts and teachings through my Just Judaism blog and through distributing my recorded classes. I developed a new appreciation for the Jewish community outside of Orthodoxy. Through active involvement in UJA-Federation, the New York Board of Rabbis, and the Shalom Hartman Institute, I studied and collaborated with serious Jews of all stripes and feel more connected and capable of impacting the Jewish people. Looking even further, I had some very memorable interfaith opportunities including hosting evangelical ministers and imams for Chanukah dinner. In connection with my rabbinate, I’ve taken dozens of trips to Israel. I’ve also taken some amazing rabbinic or Jewish communal excursions to Budapest, St. Petersburg, Guatemala, Morocco, and even Ramallah. I found a new appreciation for the role that conversion plays in our community.
R abbi E lie W einstock / / K E H I L AT H J E S H U R U N B U L L E T I N
It has been amazing to see how sincere individuals transform their lives and become Jews, often transforming the course of Jewish families. Of course, ideally our children must marry Jews, and, thank God, the overwhelming majority do. At the same time, conversion, when done right, adds more committed Jewish families to our ranks. Let’s also not forget my comedy career performing standup on Christmas Eve. đ&#x;™‚ Underlying how I changed as a rabbi is the mentorship I received from Rabbi Lookstein. (Maybe not the standup comedy.) I learned from the best, and I am proud to model my rabbinate after his. After 17 years at KJ, this Rabbi Weinstock feels blessed, grateful, energized, and optimistic for the future. It is not easy to say goodbye to KJ. That’s why I am not doing so. I move on to a new chapter in a new shul in a new community with every intention of taking KJ – the experiences, the connections, the friendships – with me. To borrow my mentor’s phrase: It is l’hitraot, not goodbye. Who knows? You may even still get a birthday email! Naama joins me in wishing only the best for those still stuck in the city‌đ&#x;˜Š L’hitraot! Check out Rabbi Weinstock’s blog, Just Judaism, at rabbielieweinstock.blogspot. com. Rabbi Weinstock’s new mailing address is 99 Tioga Avenue, Atlantic Beach, NY 11509 and his email address is elieweinstock@gmail.com.
R abbi E lie W einstock
