Charting community’s course

LAUREN KRAMER

What’s not to love about Los Angeles? Rabbi Dan Moskovitz, the new senior rabbi at Temple Sholom, could name a few things. “The heat, the traffic, the endless expanse of the city and the lack of culture, or rather, the culture focused on the entertainment industry,” said the 43-year-old. At the time he applied for the position at Temple Sholom, he was also a finalist in rabbinical postings in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.

But Vancouver was the first choice for the family of five. “We just felt it was a better place to raise our family, with better values and a better work-life balance,” he told the Independent. Moskovitz also believes the Reform Judaism practised here in Vancouver is unique on the continent. “It’s more traditional and more authentic in some ways,” he said.

Originally from the San Francisco Bay area, Moskovitz lived in Los Angeles for 23 years, practising as a rabbi at the city’s Temple Judea for the past 13 years. During that time, he penned many articles for the Jewish Journal and published The Men’s Seder (MRJ Press, 2007), an experiential journey through the Passover seder for Jewish men. He also developed a comprehensive trans-denominational Hebrew calendar now in use by more than 5,000 rabbis, educators and Jewish professionals worldwide.

The move to Vancouver has been great for him, his wife Sharon Mishler and his three kids, ages seven, five and two. “We live in a wonderful neighborhood on the east side, and have made friends very quickly,” said the rabbi. He’s also grateful to members of his 700-household-member community, who welcomed him for the first two weeks of his stay with baked goods, dinners and gifts.

Over the summer, the Moskovitz family explored Greater Vancouver, picking berries in Delta, swimming in the public pools, biking in Stanley Park and boating on the Burrard Inlet. Moskovitz also spent time familiarizing himself with the Temple Sholom community and its distinct challenges.

“There’s still a stigma about interfaith marriage in the Vancouver community, the idea it’s somehow shameful, and that’s not my perspective,” he said. “It’s the reality of the Jewish world we live in, and overcoming that stigma and creating a warm embrace for families that have one Jewish parent and want to raise Jewish children is a priority.”

Another challenge he hopes to overcome is that of attracting new young families to the synagogue, particularly those with children who have not yet reached bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah age. To this end, he’s already implemented changes for the shul.

“We’re creating chavera groups so that people have a smaller, more intimate experience to celebrate holidays, do social action, learn together and worship together,” he explained. Temple Sholom recently added an additional three family services a month: two Friday night family services and a tot Shabbat service. “Those aren’t afterthoughts, they’re intentional programs with a significant investment of time and resources,” he said.

Moskovitz plans to continue the prominent role that Temple Sholom has played as a bridge builder in the community, to partner with other Jewish congregations and rabbis and to continue the synagogue’s advocacy for Israel and for social justice.

With his work cut out for him, he’s excited about the future, both life in Vancouver and, specifically, Jewish life in Canada. “Canada has not yet had its spiritual renaissance, so the next decade or two will be very exciting for Judaism in Canada as we move beyond the children of an immigrant generation and into defining Judaism for our own time,” he said.

And the city at large has already treated him well, he said. “When we moved into our house, we had AstroTurf installed in the back yard and this truck came with a heavy roll of it that I couldn’t lift by myself,” he recalled. “Suddenly, seven guys appeared from neighboring houses to help me and

I just don’t think that would happen in L.A. People would stand and take pictures … but they wouldn’t help.”

Moskovitz was installed as senior rabbi of Temple Sholom during the weekend of Nov. 15-17. Rabbi Philip Bregman, who served as senior rabbi for 33 years, retired from his position this past summer. For details, see "A three-pillared vision" in this issue.

Lauren Kramer, an award-winning writer and editor, lives in Richmond. To read her work online, visit laurenkramer.net.

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