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\u201cVictoria was one of the first places we decided to try and go on vacation, and we\u2019ve kind of fallen in love with it,\u201d said the rabbi, who, with her husband, had been making regular trips to Victoria for more than 20 years. \u201cThen, in January, my husband had a companion voucher that was about to expire and we thought, oh, well, let\u2019s just go to Victoria.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During that visit, she attended a service at Kolot Mayim and learned of Greenhough\u2019s retirement. At roughly the same time, her position as assistant rabbi at Beth Tzedec Congregation in Calgary was coming to an end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI looked at my husband and he looked at me, and we\u2019re like, what are we doing here? You know, our kids aren\u2019t here. My husband works from home. Maybe it\u2019s time. Maybe it\u2019s the universe sending us a sign,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An article in the Alberta Jewish News<\/em> this past April about Krygier Lapides\u2019 upcoming move to Victoria noted her \u201cgenerosity of spirit\u201d and that her regular presence will be greatly missed. Her involvement in Calgary\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019s Expo in Vancouver \u2013 in which she was escorted off the grounds of the Soviet pavilion by the KGB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A first-generation Canadian, all four of Krygier Lapides\u2019 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen 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,\u201d she said. \u201cAt 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\u2019d always wanted to be a rabbi.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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 \u201cthe Rocky Mountain Rabbi\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRosh Hashanah is on Shabbos this year, and we don\u2019t really get to hear the shofar on that first day. So, anybody who wants to come and hear a shofar should come. I\u2019m going to tell stories and we\u2019re going to sing songs, and we\u2019ll have a little bit of that taste of Rosh Hashanah, but in a family-friendly environment,\u201d she said. The second day service will be followed by Tashlich, in the afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBeing 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,\u201d she said. \u201cMaybe have a nosh, something delicious to eat, and then stay as long as you feel comfortable and then you can go. I think that\u2019s what\u2019s important \u2013 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the synagogue\u2019s selection of Krygier Lapides, Mark Pressler, president of Kolot Mayim, said, \u201cRabbi 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n