Rabbi Denker reflects on 38 years in the rabbinate – Cleveland Jewish News

For Rabbi Steven L. Denker, one of the first stops in retirement will be Cuyahoga Community College, where he is enrolled as a student in automotive technology.

Other than that, spending more time with family is on the horizon, Denker told the Cleveland Jewish News May 6 in an online interview.

By way of explanation, Denker, 70, shrugged and said, Ive always loved cars, adding hes enrolled now in his first hands-on class, a survey course. Depending on the season, he drives a Subaru Impreza hatchback or a Honda S2000.

Hes already taken a math course and a course on management of an automotive facility.

Denker has been a rabbi for 38 years and has spent the last 18 as spiritual leader at Temple Emanu El in Orange, first as interim and for most of those years as its permanent rabbi.

One of Denkers first tasks was to help Temple Emanu El think through its next steps in 2004.

He said that required many meetings, including with focus groups, discussions and with stakeholders.

It was necessary. It wasnt easy. Those kinds of changes for any congregation are never easy, Denker said, adding many of Clevelands synagogues have relocated. There are very few congregations that stay in the same spot for their entire history.

Denker has led several trips to Israel at Temple Emanu El and for other congregations. In previous posts, he has also led congregational trips to Jewish Spain, Morocco and Cuba.

One of his favorite quotations from Pirkei Avot, also known as Ethics of the Fathers, is Your associates honor should be dearer to you than your own.

Of the recent rise in antisemitism, Denker said it has always been there, but below the surface.

It has surfaced in recent years because it has become fashionable in some circles, he said and because of the extreme nature of public discourse that we are in the middle of, not just in the United States but worldwide.

Denker was born in New York City, attended public schools in Brooklyn and became a bar mitzvah at Talmud Torah of Flatbush.

He graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from City University of New York, a Master of Hebrew Letters and an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York.

Prior to entering rabbinical training, he was director of community relations for the New York City chapter of the American Jewish Committee and served on the staff of the late U.S. Rep. Stephen J. Solarz.

He started rabbinical school at age 29, attending HUC-JIR, spending his first year in Jerusalem and the rest of his time at the New York City campus.

In his second year, he was invited to dinner at then-cantorial student Alane Simons (now Katzew). Another guest at the table was Lisa Arlyn Lowe, whom Katzew hoped to set up with Denker.

It was a match, and the couple has been married nearly 40 years. Lowe is a lawyer at Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & Lewis in Woodmere.

Denkers first rabbinical post was as assistant, then associate rabbi at Temple Sholom in Chicago. After doing some teaching and part-time work, he served at Congregation Kol Ami in Chicagos Water Tower Place, as its rabbi for 10 years.

It was time for me to look beyond Kol Ami, Denker said of his decision to approach the Central Conference of American Rabbis placement commission.

The Temple Emanu El interim position was suggested, which Denker accepted for one year. He stayed on a second year with permission from the placement commission.

In that second year, I saw that things were coming together to make the physical move, which was necessary in my opinion for the congregation to have a future, said Denker, who sought and received permission to apply for the permanent position at Temple Emanu El. So altogether, its been 18 years.

Denker said there were certain things that attracted him to want to stay.

I saw the enthusiasm of the members and the commitment of the members and the viability of the congregation, he said. And also the opportunity to help a congregation really be reborn, which is pretty much what happened.

In his time in Cleveland, Denker said he has enjoyed taking part in changing the landscape of the Jewish community in Cleveland.

People drive by Brainard and Emory, Denker said. And they think theres been a synagogue there since Moses, which is not quite the case.

Characterizing the congregation, Denker said, Emanu Els got a wonderful group of people for whom a mid-size congregation middle of the road Reform congregation is appropriate.

When they moved to Cleveland, Denker and Lowes older son, David, was about to start college. Alexander was 15 and graduated from Solon High School. David now lives in Jerusalem with his wife, A.J. Bruce, and their daughter, Nava; Alexander lives in Washington, D.C.

In December, Denker and Lowe relocated from Solon to Beachwood in what he called a typical downsizing.

Reflecting, Denker said among his greatest joys has been watching a generation grow up and to be part of peoples lives and have the extreme honor of having people learn Torah with me.

See original here:

Rabbi Denker reflects on 38 years in the rabbinate - Cleveland Jewish News