New valley Rabbi arrives on hog
The search committee of Marmorstein, Susana Theas, Ilise Garvin,
David Passoff, Aggie Margolis, and community president Pamela Brown narrowed a
final field of three candidates, finally selecting Brown to lead the
congregation.
Brown, 59, was born in Chicago, but grew up in Pomona. Brown began
his religious study for the rabbinate after receiving a bachelor’s degree in
music from Pomona College.
Brown’s religious training was sparked by a college class on the
Bible led by a professor who made the document come to life for the college
student. During his studies, Brown says, “the lights went on,” allowing him to
open his mind to the contradictions in the Bible. “This thinking freed me up,”
said Brown of the “anti-dogmatic” method that was applied by the instructor.
Brown continued his religious education at Hebrew Union College in
Cincinnati, Ohio, becoming an ordained rabbi in 1976 and receiving his Doctor
of Divinity degree in 2001.
Although Brown turned toward his religious training, he never
abandoned his music and still plays as his alter-ego, Sgt. Schlepper, the
songwriter, keyboardist and vocalist of “Sgt. Schlepper’s Purim Shpieller Band,”
which bills its performances as “Rock ‘n’ roll for the Jewish Soul.”
Rabbi Brown noted that the roles of a rabbi are more than just
being the religious leader of a congregation. The meaning of the word “rabbi”
is teacher. He is responsible to the congregation to bringing meaning to the
words contained in the Torah, or holy scriptures.
The rabbi also must
be a student, speaker, counselor, and administrator for his congregation.
Rabbi Brown spoke of the contributions made to our American
culture by Jews in the arts, entertainment, medicine, and law. Among those was
one of the signature hand gestures of the 1960s, which came from a hand gesture
used by a rabbi during his benediction to the congregation. William Shatner and
Leonard Nimoy, the Jewish actors who played Captain James T. Kirk and Lt. Cdr.
Spock on the 1960’s television series “Star Trek,” came up with the idea to
have Spock use the hand gesture of the index and middle finger held apart from
the ring finger and pinky while saying, “Live long and prosper.”
Taking responsibility for leading the valley’s Jewish congregation
will require Brown to commute from
Pomona, something he will do on his bright red Honda motorcycle, his primary
transportation. Brown noted the comedic aspect of his arrival on the big road cruiser
commonly known as a “hog” in motorcycle slang.
Brown is married to Gencie Turner, his wife since 1999, and has
three children, Mark, 33, daughter Shira, 30 (both from a previous marriage),
and step-daughter Mary, 15.
“This is a community ready to take off,” said Brown of the growing
Jewish community. “If you want to be part of this you don’t have to be Jewish…everyone’s
welcome.”
For additional
information on the Santa Ynez Valley Jewish Community, contact Pamela Brown at
(805) 688-3614 or Aggie Margolis at (805) 688-6271.