Loving living and working as a rabbi in Israel

For former Woodmere resident and Hewlett High School graduate, Rabbi Richard Kirschen, deciding to leave his job in America for one in Israel was one of the biggest decisions he’s ever made.

Growing up in Woodmere, Kirschen felt there was too much emphasis on material possessions and economic status as he was pushed to ask questions about his Jewish identity. “I remember asking myself, was being Jewish relevant at all? Was it simply ethnic baggage or a religion? Sorry to say but much of what I saw as being labeled Jewish in Woodmere and Hewlett did not speak to me,” he said. “I always felt there was something more than bar mitzvahs or Max’s and Woodro’s, (kosher delicatessens) although I love them both.”

Kirschen longed to learn, teach and help Jewish people so in 1996, he became an ordained rabbi by the Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. “I loved the learning, however, like many things in my life, I struggled quite a bit (at Hebrew Union College) as it was too religiously liberal for me at the time,” he said. “But overall it was one of the best experiences ever and I had some amazing teachers whose Torah I carry to this day.”

Rabbi David Wilfond, the director of education for Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) in Israel, was in Kirschen’s rabbinical school class and has since worked with him on educational programs in Israel for high school and university students. “His combination of smarts and kindness make him a great rabbi and director,” Wilfond said. “He serves as a model (to the young people he works with) and is inspiring, fun and principled.”

In 2004, Kirschen left his job as the Hillel director at Brown University in Providence, R.I. and moved to Israel, a decision he doesn’t regret. “It might not be a normal country as our establishment was miraculous and we are surrounded by millions of enemies that long for our demise and yet we are against all odds but it is so natural living here as a Jew,” he said. “I love the fact that the public culture is Jewish. You can be Jewish not only in the synagogue but in the mall, public school, the television … everywhere.”