On the Jewish New Year, Linda stood in front of a large audience. An appellate litigator, a filmmaker, the daughter of Holocaust survivors and a wife and mother of two, she was composed, but her words were vulnerable.
“I am a true beginner,” Linda said. “I am still nervous about the responsibility of speaking to you about the Torah because there is so much that I don’t know and so much that I want to learn. What I am certain of is that I love Torah, and I love God.”
Where did she find that certainty? The answer, she shared, was simple: “KJ Beginners High Holy Day Services and weekly Shabbat services.”
Linda is not the only one. The room she was in was full of people with similar stories—people who, like her, had found a spiritual home at KJ Beginners. Despite the similarities, the audience was diverse in age, background and knowledge, reflecting a truism that anyone who has ever attended a KJ Beginners program or service has heard: We are all Beginners.
For more than 30 years, New Yorkers looking to explore Judaism have found themselves gripped by the unique experience they find at KJ Beginners. More than just a kiruv (“outreach”) or an inter-community program, KJ Beginners is a homecoming for people of all backgrounds, run by dedicated volunteers and rabbis.
When a donor looked to honor Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, rabbi emeritus of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun and principal emeritus of Ramaz, earlier this year, it was this legacy they sought to celebrate. At 93, Rabbi Lookstein is energetic and bright-eyed, always with a kind word for a security guard or a small child, his voice carrying at prayer services like a man much younger. His role in the conception of the KJ Beginners program and in its continued success made the decision simple for the donor: the program would generously be endowed and renamed the Rabbi Haskel Lookstein Jewish Exploration & Continuity Project (“The RHL Project”).
The RHL Project expands KJ Beginners’ offerings, allowing it to positively impact even more lives. Depending on a person’s age, life stage and background, they might find themselves in any number of programs.
A young professional might join Holy Hour Happy Hour, a collaboration with Chabad Young Professionals, which features a musical kabbalat Shabbat and a buffet dinner for hundreds of people ages 21-38 each Friday Night. This program offers a place to belong in a busy and ever-moving city—Jori Holloway, an enthusiastic participant and volunteer leader, calls it “so welcoming and vibrant.” And the RHL Project and CYP have just announced a new program, inspired by the success of Happy Hour Holy Hour: SOD, which consists of a social hour followed by tiered learning options for individuals of all backgrounds and age groups.
Beloved weekly Shabbat services are run by dedicated volunteers George Rohr, Morris Massel and Dr. Steven Rudolph—exploratory services for those with no Hebrew or prayer background and more in-depth services for those with more experience. Rachel and Rabbi Daniel Kraus, the clergy members who lead the RHL Project, also host bi-monthly Shabbat morning programs that offer “spiritual caffeine”—inspiration, practical tips, conversation and prayer—for parents in search of community and friendship.
Every person who enters the community brings a unique story, and there are dozens of entry points. RHL Project events take place almost every night of the week at KJ: Hebrew classes, a “Meaningful Jewish Living” course, holiday workshops, Jewish parenting programs and “Friday Night Live” community dinners. “From the moment I walked in, I felt something shift,” expressed one community member, Viviane Sabat, earlier this year. “Everything felt alive.”
Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun is honored to gather this year in celebration of the legacy of the KJ Beginners Program, reimagined and renamed in honor of Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, whose life’s work has been to open doors, minds and hearts to Jewish learning and living.
KJ invites all to join for an evening honoring this work and the profound impact of the KJ Beginners Program on Dec. 13, at 8 p.m.
To register, or to pay tribute to the extraordinary vision of KJB leaders Rabbi Daniel and Rachel Kraus, George Rohr, Dr. Steven Rudolph and Morris Massel, visit: ckj.org/annualdinner.
