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September 12, 2003
Schara Tzedeck's new rabbi
Vancouver reminds Andrew Rosenblatt of his East Coast community.
KYLE BERGER REPORTER
It would be hard to believe that a rabbi who grew up around the
more vibrant Jewish communities on the East Coast of the United
States would find much in common with the Orthodox community of
Greater Vancouver. But it was one specific similarity that attracted
Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt, the new spiritual leader of Congregation
Schara Tzedeck, to the Lower Mainland.
Rosenblatt, who took over from Rabbi Avi Baumol July 28, said that
Vancouver's oldest congregation reminded him of the shul and community
where he grew up in Baltimore, Md.
"Having gone through public school and having grown up in a
synagogue where many of the participants were less observant gave
me an understanding of how to get people involved even if they don't
have 12 years of yeshivah education or are not yet shomer [observant
of] Shabbat," the 32-year-old rabbi said. "There are still
many different avenues by which to participate and there are many
different avenues of observance.
"For example," he continued, "one of the areas that
I'm going to be pushing most actively is the involvement in chesed
[acts of kindness], which is an area in which everyone can take
part and contribute."
Born and raised in Baltimore, Rosenblatt comes from a long line
of congregational leaders and rabbis. His great-grandfather was
the famous cantor Yossle Rosenblatt and his grandfather was Rabbi
Dr. Samuel Rosenblatt, also a popular leader and scholar.
Though his family tree might have helped lead him to the rabbinate,
Rosenblatt certainly didn't take a direct route to the pulpit.
After graduating from Baltimore's public high school system, Rosenblatt
attended Columbia University in New York where he earned his BA
in chemistry and English literature. He followed that up with several
years of study in an Israeli yeshivah before returning to Columbia
to earn his master's in bio-organic chemistry. Only after that did
he decide to accept a Wexler fellowship to start his rabbinical
training at New York's Yeshivah University.
"Many people say that it is a strange transition from chemistry
to the rabbinate, but I don't think so," he said. "I was
interested in chemistry because it is a wonderful way to see the
hand of God in nature.
"But I realized that it is sometimes difficult to communicate
your passion for intricate biological systems to people who don't
speak that language," he continued. "So I decided that
I would be more fulfilled in teaching the word of God from the revealed
word as opposed to the natural."
Rosenblatt, who also has a passion for cooking (he has led programs
on how to prepare and serve food when you can't cook on Shabbat),
said that the Schara Tzedeck congregation should expect him to care
very much about the esthetic quality of the synagogue and the service.
With that in mind, one of his goals is to establish a choir that
can work with Cantor Yaacov Orzech and use more modern styles.
"I would like to take the style of someone like Shlomo Carlebach
or more modern music and increase the complexity and beauty of that
music through harmonies, rather than just repeating words,"
he said.
Getting everyone involved is another one of Rosenblatt's key mandates
for the Schara Tzedeck community, whether it be reading from the
Torah or other aspects of synagogue life.
"Not everyone can read Torah, blow the shofar or lead the congregation
in prayers," he said. "But the person who can help us
to feed the hungry or help us involve the home-bound is equally
valuable. I want the shul to be known, as it already very much is,
to have a mandate of helping the Jews of Vancouver."
He also wants to continue Baumol's leadership in Israel activism
and support, as well as create more opportunities for singles of
all ages to meet.
Rosenblatt received his smichah (ordination) in 2000 and he served
as the assistant rabbi of Congregation Ahavath Torah in Anglewood,
N.J., for the past three years. He also taught at the Torah Academy
of Bergen County, a high school for boys.
Rosenblatt came to Vancouver with his wife, Dr. Cirelle Rosenblatt,
a neuropsychologist and clinical psychologist. The couple have four
children – David Shalom, 6, Shmuel Aryeh, 4, Leora Sarah, 2,
and Rachel Yehudit, 16 months.
Kyle Berger is a freelance journalist and graphic designer
living in Richmond.
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