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February 11, 2005
Two milestones for shul
25 years for the Bregmans, 40 for Temple Sholom.
KYLE BERGER
In a world where even the sacred commitment of marriage has a less-than
50 per cent survival rate, Rabbi Philip Bregman understands how
unusual it is to maintain the same career for a quarter of a century,
never mind working for the same institution. But, as the congregation
of Temple Sholom is on the verge of their 40th anniversary, they
are also preparing to honor the Bregman family's 25 years of service
and leadership.
Bregman, who, in 1989, signed a contract that would take him to
the age of 65, said he is proud to know that communal politics never
got in the way of forging his successful career.
"I have been fortunate that from the get-go, I have been surrounded
by a fantastic group of individuals who have been supportive and
encouraging," he said. "[The synagogue board] have given
me guidance. But they have allowed me to be the rabbi of the shul
and have not tried to micro-manage and second-guess me."
When Bregman and his wife, Cathy, left New York for Vancouver in
the summer of 1980, they began working for the young Reform congregation
that hosted a mere 70 families at the time. Today, Temple Sholom
is one of Greater Vancouver's largest congregations, with more than
650 families. Bregman attributes much of that success to the overwhelming
sense of family the leaders of Temple Sholom have displayed since
they arrived.
"I have been fortunate in having some success and surrounding
myself with fabulous individuals," he said, specifically referring
to the Temple Sholom religious school principal Anne Andrews, who
has also served her position for many years. "We have a fair
amount of longevity with the staff as well, because they enjoy being
here and the shul treats us as family."
Throughout the past 25 years, the rabbi has had many moments that
stand out in his mind. However, some of his proudest experiences
include being a part of the building process for the congregation's
current facility on Oak Street, watching five congregants study
to become rabbis themselves and participating in the continuous
lifecycle events of Temple Sholom's membership. This includes the
growth of his own children, who where all born and raised in what
the Bregmans jokingly call the captivity of Temple Sholom. Their
only son, Shai, is finishing school at McGill University in Montreal
and their oldest daughter, Jordana, is in her first year at the
University of Oregon. Their youngest daughter, Shira, is following
in her siblings' footsteps as a Grade 7 student at Vancouver Talmud
Torah.
"My kids love Temple Sholom," said Cathy Bregman, who
has played her own role over the years in terms of adding art and
spirit to the congregation. "They feel completely at home there
and my two oldest kids love coming back because they feel like they
are surrounded by people who adore them."
While the Bregmans attribute much of their success to their supporting
cast of staff and lay leaders, the current president of the congregation
can't imagine where they would be without the Bregmans. Sarah Richman
said the shul's board has a clear understanding of the role the
rabbi has played in the congregation's success.
"The board carries that feeling that he is our leader and there
is no question that he sets the spiritual tone and the sense of
community," she said. "This is a rabbi that gets a job
done when it needs to be done and the board has taken that on as
well."
Ordained in 1975, Bregman followed up his rabbinical training with
a master's in social work at the University of Toronto. He then
moved to New Rochelle, N.Y., where he served as the assistant rabbi
of a large congregation for three years. He married Cathy in 1978,
two years before the couple made the permanent move to Vancouver.
Nine years later, he signed his current contract.
To celebrate the synagogue's two milestones, the congregation will
have festivities throughout the weekend of Feb. 18-19. At Friday
night services, they will honor the founding families of Temple
Sholom and on Saturday morning, they will honor all of the past
presidents.
A special event recognizing the Bregmans' 25 years of service will
take place Saturday evening.
Art of the congregation
Members of Temple Sholom Synagogue recently had the unique opportunity
to participate in a piece of commissioned art by Rina Lederer-Vizer.
This past Rosh Hashanah, the congregation was handed small pieces
of paper that had a colorful digital image on one side and nothing
on the other. They were asked, during the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah
and Yom Kippur, to write notes of prayers, wishes and yearnings.
The 1,300 notes were collected and placed in a box to become part
of Lederer-Vizer's art.
"When I was asked to give my proposal ... I immediately thought
about Jerusalem," Lederer-Vizer said. "I thought about
the Kotel, the western wall of the Temple, as a physical metaphor
that became the soul of dialogue and a place that embodies the continuous
bond the Jewish people have with the Bible."
The three-dimensional artwork is displayed on the east wall of the
Temple Sholom chapel.
40 years of memories
A long-time congregant is working on a special project for the 40th
anniversary celebrations.
Glenda Guttman and her husband, Arthur, have been members since
1967. They were the shul's 32nd family. Today, she is honored to
be contributing to the event by putting together a series of scrapbooks
that will be on display.
"The congregation was small and most of us became good friends
and we worked together to make it grow," she said of the early
years. "Since then, there have been changes in the make-up
of the congregation, but not many changes in the personality of
the congregation."
Arthur Guttman, who has always taken an active role in leading services
at Temple Sholom, has been the shul's cantorial soloist since the
early 1990s.
Temple Sholom started meeting in various homes in the mid-1960s
after an ad ran in the Jewish Western Bulletin calling for
anyone interested in establishing a Reform congregation. At that
time, many of the services were also held at the Jewish Community
Centre of Greater Vancouver and their religious school classes took
place at Schara Tzedeck Synagogue. They soon rented some space from
the Unitarian Church on Oak Street, before eventually purchasing
a building on West 10th Avenue. That building was destroyed as a
result of a firebomb attack 20 years ago, paving the way for the
construction of their current home.
For more information about the 40th and 25th anniversary events,
call 604-266-7190.
Kyle Berger is a freelance journalist and graphic designer
living in Richmond.
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