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February 5, 1999/19 Shevat 5759, Vol. 51, No. 19
A wing and a prayer
Rabbi embarks on new career
LOU HIRSH
Contributing Editor
If you're Jewish and you've flown on Southwest Airlines in recent months, the skies may have seemed a little friendlier than expected. Since November, David Pinkwasser, rabbi emeritus at Temple Emanuel of Tempe, has been working full time as a flight attendant for the airline.
Shari Perez, regional manager for the Dallas-based carrier, said she is not certain whether clergy members are employed elsewhere in the company, but she said Pinkwasser is the first rabbi she knows of to be hired in the Southwest service region that includes Phoenix.
"It's exciting to have a rabbi working for us," said Perez. "We tend to hire people from all walks of life, ranging from teachers to police officers - you name it."
In some ways, Pinkwasser said this week, his airline duties are not a major departure from his work at the pulpit over the past 25 years. For example, his experience in comforting others is often called into play when he recognizes passengers are facing difficult situations, such as traveling to a funeral. During lighter moments during flights, the rabbi makes good use of his ability to read crowds and keep them entertained.
"On a flight going from Las Vegas back to Phoenix, I can always tell which passengers are coming back winners and which ones aren't," Pinkwasser said with a laugh.
Perez and Kristen Nelson, a Southwest spokeswoman also based at the Dallas headquarters, agreed that people skills are key assets in the job.
"We hire for personality, and we train for skills," Nelson said.
After 20 years at Temple Emanuel, Pinkwasser left his full-time rabbinical position last year to pursue business ventures, including the possible purchase of a Nevada hotel-casino that did not come to fruition. The 49-year-old Chandler resident now said he's no longer looking in that direction, "because I'm doing the kind of work I really love doing at this point in my life."
As rabbi emeritus, Pinkwasser continues to offer assistance to Temple Emanuel when asked. Rabbi Andrew Straus joined the temple as its spiritual leader last July and was officially installed the weekend of Jan. 29-31.
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