When Rabbi Nathan Weiner was growing up, he discovered just how deep his love for Judaism was in an atypical way.
While his family lived next door to their synagogue, they didn’t observe Shabbat or eat kosher. However, their close proximity gave them an important role at the shul.
“We were the people that got the call every night when they didn’t have enough people to make minyan,” he said. “Post my bar mitzvah, my father insisted that if I was home, I put down my homework and walk next door for 15 minutes.”
Weiner said that this experience is what gave him an understanding of community and of the role that Judaism plays in people’s lives.
“Because I became this 14-year-old who was relied upon by elder statesmen within the congregation so that they could say Kaddish for their loved ones and they let me know how much that meant to them, that was so affirming and foundational to what I want to bring to creating Jewish community,” Weiner said.
Weiner will begin his tenure at Har Zion in Mount Holly on July 1. Prior to this post, he worked as rabbi of Congregation Beth Tikvah in Marlton until the summer of 2023. He studied as a student at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. As excited as he is, the community at Har Zion might be even more excited, said longtime Temple Har Zion member Kohenet Ma’ayana Tishman.
“He brings a different kind of energy and interest, and he’s very personable. Because we know him, we’re very comfortable. He has led services in our building and we are thrilled to be able to have him as our new rabbi,” she said.
When Weiner begins this summer, he is excited to meet each and every one of the congregants at the synagogue and start to fill in wherever he is needed. As a spiritual leader, of course, but that’s not the only role he will play.
“Being a rabbi is a number of jobs rolled into one, which is why I love the congregational rabbinic [role] because it’s always so dynamic,” he said. “There’s a piece where your membership needs to have their experience be individually and communally fulfilling, and I believe it’s the rabbi’s job, in collaboration with the membership, to curate those experiences.”
New events will hit the calendar when Weiner joins, as that’s one way to spur interest. However, in addition to that, he will have to make sure to represent the synagogue in an outward-facing way.
“They don’t happen by accident,” he said. “Lift up meaningful Torah that’s going to resonate and provide opportunities for study and engaged prayer, but then also be a shaliach on behalf of the congregation in the larger community that can communicate the uniqueness of a community that you serve.”
Weiner said that the role will require this sort of outreach to the larger community, whether that means other Jews or not. However, that will never be the priority over serving the congregants that belong to Har Zion right now, he said.
“There’s the inreach to your membership and there’s outreach to people in the community and making sure that those two things are in lockstep is essential,” he said. “So there is a marketing component that’s outward facing, but there’s also, more importantly, that what’s happening internally needs to be robust and meaningful, so that it has the stuff to back it up.”
Temple Har Zion President Micah Grabenstein said that the membership knows he has the stuff to back it up, and they figured it out right away.
“Our members instantly clicked with Rabbi Nathan. We are extremely excited to pray, study and celebrate simchas with him. Rabbi Nathan brings a special energy and warmth to the pulpit, ensuring that all feel welcome and represented. We invite our Jewish friends in the South Jersey community to join us for Shabbat services and experience this spiritual synergy for themselves,” he said.
On top of all this, Weiner knowing the community beforehand helped him know he would be comfortable there. Since he had worked in the area and with the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey, Weiner was familiar with many members of Har Zion and they knew him.
Weiner is eternally grateful for his father’s insistence that he attend minyan all those times, and for what it taught him about Judaism. For the community of Har Zion, they are happy to be gaining a leader that is going to take the time to get to know each one of them.
“It showed me that every Jewish soul is valuable and has something to offer. It’s important for [any] individual to know that they’re welcome and included and valued, and it’s important for our communities to have a wide range of people that build out what it means to be an intentional community,” he said.
Yahoo! Rabbi Nathan is a Rockstar!