New educational director Derek Rosenbaum says his goal is to “raise the level of excellence” at the school.
August 12, 2008
For the first time in its 14-year history, Kehilat HaNahar, the Little Shul by the River in New Hope, Pa., has engaged a professional Jewish educator to serve as director of its 100-student religious school.
Derek Rosenbaum of Philadelphia, a third-year rabbinical student at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wyncote, Pa., took up his responsibilities as educational director on July 1. He most recently served as a teacher and student rabbi at Beth Sholom Congregation in Elkins Park, Pa., and as a rabbinic intern with the Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Philadelphia.
“I see it as a leap into the future,” said Rabbi Sandy Roth, religious leader of the 140-family Reconstructionist congregation. “I see it as very exciting for the whole shul, and very exciting for me to have another professional to collaborate with toward the growth of Kehilat HaNahar.
“I think he is bringing us new energy,” she said, “and, as a rabbinical student whose focus is education, he can connect us with what’s on the cutting edge in Jewish education.”
Concurrent with the hiring of Rosenbaum, Kehilat HaNahar has embarked on a three-year program to upgrade its educational infrastructure, according to Roth. In consultation with the Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education in Philadelphia, the congregation will work to improve its educational committee, curriculum, teacher development, and teacher training.
“It’s a commitment on the part of the leadership of the shul to improve our program and make it exceptional,” the rabbi said.
As educational director, Rosenbaum will play a central role in implementing a new vision for the school.
“My goal is going to be to aid the school however I can in this process and to ensure that students are having a meaningful, safe, warm, and nurturing Jewish educational experience,” he said during a recent phone interview. “I feel my goal in coming here is to raise the level of excellence.”
Rosenbaum brings to that task a multifaceted personal and professional background. Born in Philadelphia, he was raised in Richboro, Pa., and celebrated his bar mitzva and confirmation at Ohev Shalom of Bucks County, where his parents, Mark and Arlene, are still members.
As a teen, Rosenbaum was involved in the Conservative movement’s United Synagogue Youth, and he spent two months in Israel attending the Alexander Muss High School under the auspices of USY.
“That was amazing. It really changed my life…and gave me a sense of mission,” he said.
Rosenbaum deepened his sense of mission by enrolling in the joint program of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and Columbia University. He spent his freshman year in Israel, studying at the Hebrew University and working on a Modern Orthodox kibbutz in the Negev. In the spring of 2001, he graduated from the program with bachelor’s degrees in Jewish and United States history.
After a brief stint at a Philadelphia law firm, Rosenbaum moved to Washington to work for Panim: The Institute for Jewish Leadership and Values. At the same time, he taught at a religious school and recruited students for Young Judaea’s year-in-Israel programs.
By then, Rosenbaum said, it was clear to him that he wanted to teach — so he went to China to teach English at a private high school in the Yangtze River Delta town of Hangzhou for a year.
“I decided to take an adventure,” he said. “It was an amazing multicultural experience, and I found myself presenting myself Jewishly in so many ways. I loved teaching, and when I came back, I decided I wanted to teach Judaism on a full-time basis. Then it dawned on me that rabbinical school was the right path.”
He enrolled at RRC in the fall of 2006.
“It was perfect,” he said. “I came to the rabbinate wanting to be a Jewish educator. There were certain things about RRC and the Reconstructionist movement that spoke to me and seemed so honest. The ideology of the movement seemed to be in tune with the reality of what people experience as Jews. It felt right, and I’m just so glad the shidduch [match] was made.”
Then the position opened up at Kehilat HaNahar. “It just seemed like a natural progression,” Rosenbaum said. “I was up for a new challenge.”
Rosenbaum said he sees the congregational school as a place where his students can get a firm grounding in Jewish values and traditions — and as a place where they can explore and express their Jewish identity.
“I believe in the value of tikun olam” — repairing the world — “and in kids doing great mitzvot in the world,” he said. “That’s definitely a focus of what we’re looking to do — and for the kids to know that Kehilat HaNahar is their home.
“As educational director, I’m still getting my feet wet — just figuring out the community and getting to know everyone,” he added. “I’ve received wonderful support from everyone. It’s a congregation that’s hungry for doing great things. I feel great about this new role.”
--TOP--
Comment: comments@njjewishnews.com
