Rabbi Greene's Personal Statement
During my college years, I spent my summers song-leading at the NFTY Leadership Center at Kutz Camp (Warwick, NY). I was blessed with the opportunity to bring some 300 high school students, counselors and faculty together in song every day. My task was not to entertain, but to create an atmosphere where each person who desired could join his or her voice with another’s. It didn’t matter whether they could sing or not; what mattered was that those people felt they were an integral part of a community; that they found a safe place to raise their voices, sing loudly (even off-key) and feel connected.
My role as song leader at Kutz Camp was to facilitate and guide the community to create a harmony—a unity—that is hard to find in our “everyday spaces.” This has become the foundation for my rabbinate—creating sacred space for individuals and families. By cultivating meaningful relationships with an outstretched arm and an open heart, we can encourage people to participate in the strengthening of a spiritually, socially, and intellectually stimulating and inclusive congregation.
Creating vibrant, dynamic Jewish communities is no easy task. I aim to communicate that, while the world is a complicated place, a community of faith can help strengthen our resolve to make our relationships more meaningful, our commitments to justice stronger, and our capacity for compassion greater. I recall how Noah—the man described as ish tamim tzadik haya, a righteous man—built an ark with only one window. While the ark was the instrument used to survive the chaos that surrounded them, Noah and his family could not completely withdraw from the world. They needed a window to see when light would reappear.
The synagogue is my ark. The windows are the eyes of all who enter into it. Through others’ eyes, I seek out light and hope. I try to find the Divine Presence reflected in those people I meet. And when I am able, I see how we can maneuver through our own storms together towards healing.
I invite you to be a part of our effort to continue the building of our community of hope (Tikvah)—the foundation of which are the relationships we create. A community that learns Torah together, that shares prayer together, that celebrates life and meets death together, that reaches out together to heal the world is more substantial than any association—it is a congregation reaching out to bring the Presence of God into all the corners of life.
You can reach Rabbi Greene at rabbigreene@bethtikvah.com.