By Jacob Kamaras
LA JOLLA, California — Emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic with renewed energy, Congregation Adat Yeshurun of La Jolla this month will host “Breath of Fresh Aire,” the synagogue’s first in-person gala event since 2019.
Long known for its welcoming atmosphere of caring and spiritual growth, one of San Diego’s premier Orthodox communities stands poised to accommodate the needs of new members. This includes offering new resources for young families such as enhanced play areas for children and the forthcoming addition of a couple who will lead youth programming.
Last year, Adat Yeshurun held the official installation of Rabbi and Rebbetzin Daniel and Brooke Reich, cementing the milestone of the synagogue’s first rabbinic transition in its 35-year history. Now, Adat is prepared “to ensure our distinguished place in San Diego’s Jewish community and to continue our growth as an inspiring, guiding, and joyful beacon of Torah,” said the congregation’s president, Brian Marcus.
On Sunday, May 22, at 11 a.m. at The Seabird Resort in Oceanside, the gala includes brunch, music, and other entertainment. Additionally, from May 20-21, a pre-gala Shabbat celebration will feature several lectures from scholar-in-residence Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Weinberg, a rising star in the rabbinic world who serves as mashpia (a person who inspires and encourages others to grow spiritually) at Congregation Beth Abraham in Bergenfield, N.J., and a faculty member at Yeshiva University’s Irving I. Stone Beit Midrash Program.
In fact, Rabbi Weinberg is the latest in a series of scholars-in-residence who have visited Adat in the early months of 2022, underscoring the community’s resumption of vibrant in-person programming.
“Shabbat services at Adat Yeshurun are once again buzzing with regular members, new faces, and a lineup of strollers — and above all, inspiring scholars-in-residence,” Marcus said.
For this year’s gala, Adat is honoring Todd and Diane Salovey as well as Gavin and Cheryl Horn. As the congregation’s gabbaim, Todd and Gavin fill key leadership roles in the realm of the community’s religious and spiritual life.
“Week after week, they lift up our spirits. Let us honor them by lifting them up at this special event,” Marcus said of Todd and Gavin.
As gabbai, Gavin said he gets to see “an intimate side of people’s lives in a way that I never really realized. Shiva, bar mitzvah, aufruf. You have an impact on their lives.”
“You normally go to shul and focus on your own connection to god, and that’s it,” he said. “As gabbai, you worry about these besides yourself, making sure services go smoothly.”
In the Adat community, Gavin explained, “We all have a role. We all have a different piece in the community and as my kids have gotten older, they’ve gotten to take responsibility. It has helped them grow. There’s also a significant emphasis on Torah learning. It’s a place where there are people from all sorts of backgrounds and parts of the world, yet they all get along. It’s harmonious.”
The gala weekend’s keynote speaker, Rabbi Weinberg, has worked as Jewish educator for the past 15 years. He previously taught at Torah Academy of Bergen County and the Moriah School of Englewood, before joining the Yeshiva University faculty six years ago. More than 1,200 of his recorded shiurim (lectures) appear on yutorah.org.
Marcus described Rabbi Weinberg as “one of the inspiring new voices in the Torah world,” and emphasized that Adat Yeshurun’s weekend-long festivities will contribute to “breathing a breath of fresh air into our beautiful kehilla to energize us all for the bright future ahead.”
Congregation Adat Yeshurun’s “Breath of Fresh Aire” is chaired by Jeremy and Hilda Cohen, Adam and Marina Sragovicz, and Steven and Alysa Kaplan. For more information about the event, including registration and donation opportunities, please visit: https://www.wizevents.com/adatyeshurun2022/
*
Jacob Kamaras is editor and publisher of the San Diego Jewish World. This article originally appeared in L’Chaim Magazine.