Beth El rabbi reflects on his Chai anniversary
Congregants of Beth El Ner Tamid Synagogue spoke of Rabbi Gideon Goldenholz as their friend and mentor at a tribute weekend celebrating his chai (18th) anniversary as spiritual leader of the synagogue last month.
And they acknowledged that under his leadership the congregation has evolved into a progressive and inclusive place to worship.
Goldenholz came to Beth El from Fort Wayne, Ind., in 1985 following the retirement of Rabbi Louis Switchkow.
In a recent interview, Goldenholz admitted that Switchkow “was a pretty hard act to follow since he had served the synagogue for 48 years. He was a great scholar and speaker, and thankfully remained as rabbi emeritus to help me in the transition.”
But Goldenholz also had ideas of his own and asserted himself within his new role.
“I believe in evolution, not revolution, so I moved slowly in implementing changes. By the time any changes were made, the congregants were ready. For instance, I wanted to change the liturgy to make it more user-friendly. Eventually, we switched to a prayer book with more contemporary language. And I supported an egalitarian policy that seemed radical when first proposed, but by the time it was approved, the congregants were for it,” he said.
He also wanted to change the focus of the religious school. He explained: “Over time, we changed from a history-based to a prayer-based curriculum. It was a major transition in orientation, but I felt strongly that was a better format.
“At one time, in its heyday in the ’60s, there were 1,400 students in our school. When I arrived, there were 13. I know the demographics had changed, but the facts speak for themselves. The synagogue had moved north to Mequon and we needed to attract young families. We eventually grew to 140 children. Then we stabilized and unfortunately again began to shrink. Recognizing that, we made a bold move by merging our religious school with Congregation Beth Israel’s last year.
“I think it’s a good thing because our children are exposed to four clergy — two rabbis and two cantors. They really have the best of both congregations.”
Further, Goldenholz felt it was important for the synagogue to become more community-oriented. “My attitude was to participate in the community, both with my colleagues and with other congregations. I formed the Mequon-Thiensville Clergy Association soon after I arrived in Milwaukee, and we’re still going strong. We started by hosting a joint Thanksgiving service, which now attracts over 1,000 people every year.
“Interestingly, the association has become an address. We’ve been asked to deal with such things as racism and treatment of women in the courts.”
Continuing his community involvement, for the past four years, Goldenholz has taught theology, Jewish prayer and Bible history to priests, nuns and students studying for the priesthood at Sacred Heart School of Theology.
He is a past president of the Wisconsin Council of Rabbis, a member of the Interfaith Council of Greater Milwaukee and the International Body of Conservative Rabbis and a past officer of the Wisconsin Coalition for Israel.
Among the things Goldenholz still wants to accomplish is to raise the level of inclusivity. “I want our Beth El family to create a warm and welcoming attitude toward unaffiliated Jews as well as those in intermarriages. We have to change our perceived image somewhat so that the community understands we are a place where everyone can feel comfortable.
“It’s my intention that we keep the Jewish partner involved in Judaism, encourage them to raise their children Jewishly and make the non-Jewish spouse feel welcome. We want them to know that Beth El is a place to feel at home,” Goldenholz said.
In addition, he continues to make the services more user-friendly and participatory. “We have over 100 Torah readers and I want more congregants to be active in our services,” he added.
Acknowledging that he’s had his share of good times and rough spots, he said he is proud of the closeness that has developed among his congregants. “These relationships are so beautiful,” he concluded.
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