A few short months ago, home for my family and I was the northern Israeli city of Haifa, which at nearly 300,000 residents – more than 80% of whom are Jewish — is the country’s third largest-city.
Fast-forward to the present, where my wife, two young children and I now call Fort Myers home. Our new city is one-third the size of our previous one, its 8,000 Jews accounting for less than 1% of the population.
I soon learned that our new hometown is named for Abraham Myers, whose great-grandfather was the first rabbi of a historic synagogue in Charleston, South Carolina.
I similarly discovered a Jewish community that, while comparatively small in size, has an outsized record of service and commitment to our shared promise.
It’s with that commitment in mind that I joined Temple Judea, Fort Myers’ Conservative synagogue, as its new rabbi this summer.
With a focus on not just growing and strengthening our congregation of more than 50 years, but also forging deep ties across our community – Jewish or Christian, rich or poor, famous or anonymous — I welcome all members of our community to attend an installation ceremony at Temple Judea on Sunday, Nov. 10, at noon.