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June 9, 2000/6 Sivan I 5760, Vol. 52, No.40
Rabbi Michael Wasserman to lead Beth El synagogue
TAMI BICKLEY
Associate Editor
After months of looking for a new rabbi to lead Beth El Congregation in Phoenix, the synagogue's search committee this week decided on Rabbi Michael Wasserman, spiritual leader of Temple Beth El in Birmingham, Ala.
As of Wednesday, June 7, Wasserman had not yet signed a contract with Beth El, but assured Jewish News in an interview that he and his family are "committed to coming" to Phoenix and plan to move here by early August.
Wasserman, 43, will replace Rabbi Rick Sherwin, who resigned from Beth El earlier this year, and whose last day is tomorrow (June 10).
Sherwin and his family are moving to Orlando, Fla., where he will serve as senior rabbi of Temple Israel.
Steve Goldstein, co-chairman of Beth El's search committee, said that after having spent "a lot of time" interviewing possible candidates for the position, he is confident Wasserman will help to build a strong and connected congregation.
"We're very excited about bringing Rabbi Wasserman here," said Goldstein. "We think (he) will be a tremendous asset."
Born and raised near Boston, Wasserman grew up in a religiously observant household. But it wasn't until after he graduated from Harvard in 1979 with a bachelor's degree in English and American literature that he decided to become a rabbi, he said.
At age 25, he entered Jewish Theological Seminary in New York.
After he was ordained in 1987, Wasserman became the director of outreach of the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan, where he mainly worked with young, unaffiliated Jews and interfaith couples. A few years later, he served as rabbi of a small synagogue in Rhode Island. In 1993, he became rabbi at Temple Beth El in Birmingham, which has a membership of about 700 families.
In addition to the rabbinate, Wasserman has published articles in Jewish journals about education, out reach and conversion.
Wasserman's wife of 16 years, Elana Kanter, is also a rabbi. For the past three years, she has been associate rabbi of Temple Beth El in Birmingham. She has also worked as a day-school teacher and administrator and has been involved in leadership training for the Birmingham Jewish Federation.
Although she does not have a job lined up in the Valley, Kanter "will be looking at any number of ways to get involved in the community," said Was-serman.
The couple have three children: Hannah, 11; Gabriel, 7; and Jonathan, 5.
"We're really delighted to be coming here," said Wasserman. "The people here are very receptive and warm, and it's an exciting place to be for me and for my family."
Building spiritual community, Wasserman explained, is one of the goals he hopes to accomplish at his new congregation.
"The real need that people have is to have a place where they can go (such as a synagogue) and have their humanity affirmed, where Judaism teaches that we're created in God's image," he said. "People need a religious community where they can feel really valued and feel what it fully means to be human. And to me, everything that a synagogue does is really about that."
Adding that each congregation has different needs, Wasserman said his first priority as Beth El's rabbi will be to reach out to as many people as possible to assess the needs of the congregation.
Apparently, that ideology worked at his Birmingham congregation, Goldstein said.
"What struck the search committee and board at Beth El (Congregation) was the consistent, overwhelmingly glowing comments that we received from many of his current congregants," Goldstein said. "It's clear that he has touched a lot of lives in Birmingham, and has created a really committed, devoted congregation there."
Earlier this week, a letter was sent to Beth El congregants announcing that the synagogue will hold two town-hall meetings to discuss the search committee and board decision to choose Wasserman.
The meetings, held at Beth El, 1118 W. Glendale Ave., Phoenix, will be 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 14, and 9:30 a.m. Sunday, June 25.
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