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July 13, 2007
Shul gets new leader
Shaarey Tefilah welcomes rabbinical student.
FREEMAN PORITZ
Seven months after the departure of Rabbi Schachar Orenstein, Shaarey
Tefilah has a new figure behind the bimah.
Geoffrey Solomon, or Reb Chaim, as he likes to be called, grew up
in rural northern California, has a PhD in experimental nuclear
physics from Florida State University and has had successful business
careers working in the defence industry and in Silicon Valley. Currently
living in Orlando, Fla., Solomon is now devoting his time to the
study of Torah and halachah and pursuing his rabbinic ordination
through the Institute of Traditional Judaism in Teaneck, N.J.
Solomon will be flying into Vancouver from Orlando every other weekend.
"Shaarey Tefilah is in need of a rabbinical presence, but isn't
currently able to afford a full-time rabbi," he told the
Independent. "So my school sent me out here to help them."
The 42-year-old loves being "out west" and will be at
Shaarey Tefilah at least until May 2008. He has been married for
nine years to Rachel Solomon, a physician. She will be accompanying
him on many of his trips here.
Serving the Jewish community is not something new for Solomon's
family. He grew up in "a very rural area" in northern
California which had no synagogue, "so my mother started a
shul, which is still there.... [I] got used to see[ing] Jews without
a lot of support [from Jewish institutions]."
At the age of 18, Solomon took an active part in the high-tech craze
sweeping North America. "When I got out of high school, it
was right at the beginning of the micro-computer boom in Silicon
Valley and I started working as a software engineer," he said.
He worked in Silicon Valley until he was 26. After leaving the high-tech
industry and acquiring a PhD, he spent five years working in the
defence field. ("I didn't do weapons," he explained.)
On the appeal of Shaarey Tefilah, Solomon observed that, "Some
people prefer a smaller synagogue. The vision I have for Shaarey
Tefilah is first and foremost a halachic synagogue. I like that
it's small. I'm looking to grow it to 100-150 family members. Now
that's a tall order for one year. If we bring it back at all, that
would be a success.
"I'd like to bring back programs for pre-bar mitzvah and bar
mitzvah children, to institute a teen program and a young adult
program – to make it a community synagogue," said Solomon.
"The eventual goal is to bring all the Jews in Vancouver to
some sort of Yiddishkeit."
Shaarey Tefilah president Michael Epstein was also a founding member
of the shul in 1992. He declined to comment on the reasons for Orenstein's
departure, but said, "We're really enthused [with Solomon].
He has a lot of very positive ideas. He's got a lot of energy. He's
looking for a challenge."
Freeman Poritz is a Vancouver freelance writer.
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