Timing was “serendipitous”

Rabbi Ilana Krygier Lapides became the new rabbi of Victoria’s Kolot Mayim Reform Temple in July, following the retirement of Rabbi Lynn Greenhough, who served the congregation, initially as spiritual leader and later as rabbi, for nine years.

Speaking to the Independent last month, Krygier Lapides, a Calgary native, called the timing of her appointment at Vancouver Island’s only Reform congregation “serendipitous.”

“Victoria was one of the first places we decided to try and go on vacation, and we’ve kind of fallen in love with it,” said the rabbi, who, with her husband, had been making regular trips to Victoria for more than 20 years. “Then, in January, my husband had a companion voucher that was about to expire and we thought, oh, well, let’s just go to Victoria.”

During that visit, she attended a service at Kolot Mayim and learned of Greenhough’s retirement. At roughly the same time, her position as assistant rabbi at Beth Tzedec Congregation in Calgary was coming to an end.

“I looked at my husband and he looked at me, and we’re like, what are we doing here? You know, our kids aren’t here. My husband works from home. Maybe it’s time. Maybe it’s the universe sending us a sign,” she said.

An article in the Alberta Jewish News this past April about Krygier Lapides’ upcoming move to Victoria noted her “generosity of spirit” and that her regular presence will be greatly missed. Her involvement in Calgary’s Jewish community started in childhood, ranging from Hebrew school to BBYO, to serving as president of Hillel while attending university in Edmonton and serving on the board of the Canadian Jewish Congress when it existed.

Among her early adventures was participation in the Soviet Jewry Freedom Caravan, a cross-country campaign led by college students that drew attention to the plight of Jews in the Soviet Union and culminated with a protest at that year’s Expo in Vancouver – in which she was escorted off the grounds of the Soviet pavilion by the KGB.

Krygier Lapides, who holds a degree with specialization in English and philosophy from the University of Alberta and a diploma in Yiddish instruction from Bar-Ilan University,  worked in the daycare at Calgary’s Jewish Community Centre and later as a nursery and Yiddish teacher at the Calgary Jewish Academy for 15 years. Afterwards, she moved on to the Calgary Jewish Federation, where she helped organize special events.

A first-generation Canadian, all four of Krygier Lapides’ grandparents were Holocaust survivors. Her father was a child Holocaust survivor, and her mother was born outside a displaced persons camp in Germany to Auschwitz survivors.

“When Federation realized my specific skill set, and the fact that I was a descendant of Holocaust survivors, I became the Holocaust educator. I did that for a long time, and also got involved in government relations and community outreach,” she said. “At that point, I needed a little bit of joy for my Judaism, because talking about the Holocaust for 13 years is a lot. And so, in 2019, I took a leave of absence from my job and did a little bit of soul searching, and I’d always wanted to be a rabbi.”

Krygier Lapides enrolled at the Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute, run by Rabbi Steven Blane in New York City, the same program that Greenhough had attended. Following ordination, Krygier Lapides became known as “the Rocky Mountain Rabbi” and maintains a website of the same name: rockymountainrabbi.com. She will still serve areas outside of Victoria as an officiant and in other capacities. Last month, she officiated at a wedding for an American who wanted to get married in the mountains.

At Kolot Mayim, Krygier Lapides intends to make all who attend feel welcome. One shift in programming will occur early in her tenure, with a family-oriented service on the second day of Rosh Hashanah.

“Rosh Hashanah is on Shabbos this year, and we don’t really get to hear the shofar on that first day. So, anybody who wants to come and hear a shofar should come. I’m going to tell stories and we’re going to sing songs, and we’ll have a little bit of that taste of Rosh Hashanah, but in a family-friendly environment,” she said. The second day service will be followed by Tashlich, in the afternoon.

In this period of increased polarization and isolation, Krygier Lapides hopes Kolot Mayim will widen the tent and bring more connection within the community at large, not only through services but such things as adult education and social activities.

“Being out in the world can be overwhelming and intimidating. The solution is to create touchstones and gateways that are easy and not threatening and low-key, where you can come for an hour and have a lovely community spiritual experience,” she said. “Maybe have a nosh, something delicious to eat, and then stay as long as you feel comfortable and then you can go. I think that’s what’s important – to just create lots of different ways that people feel like they can connect. Not everybody is a shul-goer, not everybody loves to pray.”

On the synagogue’s selection of Krygier Lapides, Mark Pressler, president of Kolot Mayim, said, “Rabbi Ilana was chosen based on her experience as a rabbi and a Jewish educator. Her passion for Judaism and Israel came through beautifully in her interviews and services.”

The synagogue’s website is kolotmayimreformtemple.com. 

Sam Margolis has written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.