As High Holidays Near, Brick Welcomes New Rabbi

What first struck Rabbi Robert B. Rubin when he became the religious leader of Brick Township’s Temple Beth Or in August was the closeness of the community, he said. And while it’s a small community, it is part of a larger Jewish community in Ocean and Monmouth counties.

“In a small congregation, people know each other better and they’re very involved,” said Rabbi Rubin, who has led congregations in Linden, Caldwell and, most recently, Philadelphia. “I find our congregation to be very friendly, welcoming and comfortable with each other. Overall, people are eager to do things.”

Rubin said his first goal has been to get to know people and to start working with them to keep the community together. He hopes to develop programs that people are interested in.

“There’s a lot of things competing for people’s time,” said Rubin. “They must look inward and decide what their core issues are and try to fit the temple into the overall matrix.”

As Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins on Wednesday night, Rubin said it’s time for introspection and soul searching and a time for his congregation, as well as Jews all over the world, to decide what can be done together.

“We’re in this community together,” he said. “What can we do to make our lives, communities and the world better?”

He said we should be looking inside ourselves all year long, but Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which starts the night of October 7, are a booster shot.

“Those 10 days are a major opportunity to focus,” said Rubin. “Ultimately, we should take that with us all year long.”

During Rosh Hashanah and at the end of Yom Kippur, a hollowed out ram’s horn called a ‘shofar’ is blown. One of the calls of the shofar is not only to announce the new year but to call people to action, according to Rubin.

“Not only should we improve ourselves but try to improve the world, too, starting with our own community,” he said. “Collecting food, teaching, being charitable to others. It’s our mitzvah (fulfillment of a commandment) to do it.”

Rubin, who grew up in Chicago, earned a degree in Cchemistry from Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., and was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in New York City. He later earned a masters degree in Rabbinics from JTS and a masters in education from Teachers College-Columbia University in New York City. He and his wife Susan have two grown sons.

Prior to coming to Temple Beth Or, Rabbi Rubin served as a Jewish community healthcare chaplain and a coordinator of kosher supervision. Rubin said observing kosher laws is an ancient tradition that is part of being Jewish and helps reinforce our relationship with God.

“It is a discipline and following; it helps us be better disciplined people,” said Rubin. “It teaches the concepts of respect for life, for animals and for God’s creation, therefore we’re more attuned to the environmental issues of today. Kosher helps us do that sustainably, taking care of the world.”

Teaching is very important to Rubin, and he said he will try to focus on teaching and one-to-one pastoral interactions while at Temple Beth Or.

“It’s fantastic Rabbi Rubin has joined us,” said Temple Beth Or President Dr. Robert Ostrove. “He’s a terrific person to work with and I feel he’ll help unite the congregation.”