In the more than 36 years since Rabbi Bernard Reichman joined Congregation Anshai Lebowitz, a lot has changed. In 1965, the synagogue was located at 52nd and Burleigh Streets in Milwaukee’s Sherman Park neighborhood. Since then, in 1998, the synagogue moved to its current building on Mequon Road.
In 1965, there was no supplementary religious school at Anshai Lebowitz. Now, thanks to Reichman’s efforts, there is. Even the relationship between a rabbi and his congregation was different, built around discipline. Now, according to Reichman, “things are simpler.”
One thing hasn’t changed though: Reichman remains the anchor of his congregation and his congregants appreciate him.
On Oct. 28, they will say “thank you” by honoring him at the Crown of Torah Award Dinner and celebrating his “double chai” years of service.
Synagogue president Joel Guthmann attribute’s Anshai Lebowitz’s uniqueness to Reichman.
“There has always been a willingness to engage people no matter where they’re at,” he said. The congregation is religiously unique and very warm and welcoming, according to Guthmann, and “a lot of that is [Reichman],” he said.
A native of Jerusalem, Reichman came to the United States as a teenager. He received rabbinic ordination from Rabbinical Academy Mesivta Rabbi Chaim Berlin in New York and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and psychology from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He has also done graduate work in education at the University of Minnesota-Winona.
Reichman came to Anshai Lebowitz after six years as spiritual leader of Congregation Sons of Abraham in La Crosse. Then and in the years since, “My aim was to bring about the beauty of an Orthodox synagogue, to show that you can feel the most beautiful feelings in an Orthodox synagogue … and feel yourself very much at home,” he said.
According to Guthmann, Reichman has succeeded. “The atmosphere [in the synagogue] is very, very nice. He makes everyone who goes there feel special,” said Guthmann.
“I thank God for my achievements in the synagogue,” said Reichman, “for all the beautiful friends we’ve made, for all the good times and bad times that I was able to share with the congregation families. I thank God for the years, for the privilege to lead the congregation.”
Daniel Chudnow, vice president of fundraising, praised Reichman as well. “He’s very beloved in our synagogue. I believe he’s very humble, modest and caring. He’s sacrificed himself for many years for the good of our synagogue,” he said.
Reichman has also been active in the general community, serving two separate terms as president of the Wisconsin Council of Rabbis and on the board of Hillel Academy. He has also served on the Governor’s Commission for the United Nations and has received numerous local and national awards. He was a chaplain at Fort McCoy, at the Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center Hospital, and at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, where he still works on a part-time basis.
Talks with Reichman or those who know him inevitably touch on his late wife, Shoshana, who died in 2000. “I have one regret — the loss of my wife Shoshana,” Reichman said.
“She was a great force in the congregation. She was our matriarch, our teacher and mentor.”
Added Chudnow, “Any honor of him should include her because she did so much for our synagogue. We sorely miss her.”
Reichman said he has no immediate plans to retire and he’s looking forward to a bright future. “I’d like to see the congregation flourish, be established as a vital spiritual institution in the state of Wisconsin,” he said. “We’re on the right path to go from strength to even greater strength.”
The Crown of Torah Award dinner is an annual fund-raising celebration that recognizes people who have provided exemplary service to the community and the synagogue. It will be held at the Sheraton Inn Milwaukee North in Brown Deer, and include a silent auction. A reception begins at 5:30 p.m., with dinner at 6 p.m. Couvert is $60 per person.
For more information or reservations, due Oct. 11, call the synagogue office, 262-512-1195.
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