“Prepare for a special staffing announcement at this year’s annual barbecue,” declared Rabbi Samuel Klibanoff, spiritual leader of Congregation Etz Chaim of Livingston.
The shul members were curious, anxious. Was the rabbi leaving? Maybe hiring a new assistant? A new youth leader, possibly? This teaser brought the membership out in droves to the shul barbecue, where they were met with an announcement that no one expected.
Rabbi Klibanoff and the leadership of Etz Chaim are bringing Dr. Erica Brown on board as community scholar for the 2018-2019 year. Her tenure will begin with the chagim and the plan is for her to spend three weekends during the year with the Etz Chaim community, along with participating in another community-based event. While she feels these in-person visits are important to develop relationships, she also plans to hold online study sessions throughout the year.
“I first heard Erica Brown speak about eight to 10 years ago, and thought her teaching and how she captivated a crowd was amazing,” said Rabbi Klibanoff. “She is not shy, not afraid of controversy. Her talks are always well attended and well received. I very much wanted to bring her on board.”
“Rabbi Klibanoff approached me in the spring,” noted Dr. Brown. “I spent four years as the community scholar at the Jewish Center in New York City, and he asked about bringing that model to Etz Chaim.”
Rabbi Klibanoff gives credit to shul member Julie Lipsett-Singer for making it happen. “Julie got Erica to come Memorial Day weekend for an amazing learning weekend,” he stated. “That was the first step, getting Erica to meet our community.” Singer will chair this endeavor going forward.
Brown said that when she and her husband joined the Etz Chaim community over Memorial Day weekend, “we felt we were among family. While I do scholar-in-residence weekends a few times a year, I wasn’t looking for a new position, but we felt it could be a lot of fun.”
Brown will be available for counseling and pastoral work in addition to the in-person and online classes. Her field is not Jewish law, but rather Bible and Jewish thought; her classes try to weave issues of relevance and meaning for a modern audience into Jewish texts. She is interested in assisting members in their Jewish journeys, helping instill Judaism in their children and helping the shul bring in young families. She wants to contribute to the community as a whole.
Rabbi Klibanoff remarked that “there are not enough women leaders in the Orthodox Jewish community.”
Brown added that, in this case, “it’s not about serving women; it’s about serving the community as a whole, having women’s voices represented in a leadership role.” She continued, “I don’t think of myself as a female educator, but rather as a Jewish educator.”
“It speaks volumes that the rabbi and the community feel this would be a positive addition to the community. Kol Hakavod to Rabbi Klibanoff for taking the initiative,” concluded Brown.
Dr. Brown is a graduate of Yeshiva University and holds three master’s degrees as well as a PhD in Jewish studies. She just completed her 12th book, a commentary on the Book of Esther. Dr. Brown is an associate professor at the George Washington University’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development, and the director of the Mayberg Center for Jewish Leadership. She has been teaching for 30 years.
For more information about this or other Etz Chaim initiatives, visit www.etzchaimnj.org.
By Jill Kirsch
