Peninsula rabbi and rebbetzin celebrate twin golden anniversaries

What kind of man leaves the comfort of his California home and flies off to march with Martin Luther King in the heart of Jim Crow country?

Rabbi H. David Teitelbaum, one of the Bay Area Jewish community's most admired spiritual leaders, that's who.

"I was very nervous," recalls his wife, Robin, of those momentous days in Selma, Ala., circa 1965. "It was all on TV. The sheriffs were standing over the [marchers] with billy clubs. Our kids said, 'Oh look, Dad's going to jail.' I was beside myself, but they were very proud."

They weren't the only ones. Today, as the Teitelbaums mark 50 years of marriage and 50 years since arriving at Redwood City's Temple Beth Jacob, a community comes together to thank them for their activism, to toast them and probably hug them as well.

Beth Jacob Rabbi Emeritus David Teitelbaum and Robin Teitelbaum will be honored at a Shabbat luncheon at Temple Beth Jacob on Saturday, March 24.

The Teitelbaums' dynamic partnership began with a blind date in Palm Springs more than half a century ago.

A native of San Francisco, Teitelbaum grew up in an Orthodox home. During World War II he conducted services at Fort Mason, and later served as a chaplain in the Korean War before becoming ordained as a Conservative rabbi.

A native New Yorker, Robin grew up acting in the Yiddish theater, and later working on Broadway. When the two met, she was co-starring in a Palm Springs production of "The Little Foxes"; he was serving as associate rabbi at a Los Angeles synagogue.

"For me in was love at first sight," remembers Robin. "I was very surprised the attraction was there."

Says David, "I found her to be kind and caring, fun and very intuitive. She read character well, maybe as a result of her theater experience. We shared the same values."

The Teitelbaums focused on social action during their Beth Jacob years. In addition to civil rights, they were active in the Soviet Jewry movement. They smuggled prayer books to refuseniks, and they were regulars at weekly protests at the Soviet embassy in the '70s.

At Beth Jacob, Rabbi Teitelbaum introduced bat mitzvah ceremonies and increased the role of women in synagogue life. Robin started a children's theater program and a women's group, even before the national women's movement got off the ground.

"In many ways the congregation grew not only in numbers, but it matured religiously and otherwise," says the rabbi. "I'm proud of the fact that we had special services for AIDS patients, with interfaith families. And I'd always been in favor of having a positive attitude toward gays and lesbians."

"He's the rabbi's rabbi," says Nathaniel Ezray, current rabbi at Beth Jacob. "He's known as an intellect, an orator, devoted to social justice. What defines him for me is his menschlichkeit. I hear story after story about how he was so present for people during difficult times."

Long time temple member Marsha Lee Berkman is organizing the tribute to the couple. She has her own take on the Teitelbaums' place in the Beth Jacob community.

"They were always there in times of joy and sorrow," says Berkman. "David was in forefront of the fight for justice. He's a great thinker. Robin was a strong rebbetzin, very supportive and involved in the shul. He was a very impressive presence. Robin had great style and charm."

After Teitelbaum retired from the pulpit, he headed the Bay Area Board of Rabbis for 10 years. The couple has two sons, one in Israel, the other in San Mateo. Five grandchildren on two continents keep them pretty busy.

As for the upcoming salute, both Teitelbaums are thrilled. "We're overwhelmed and grateful," says the rabbi. "All I can say is: 50 is nifty."

And when asked the mandatory question about what makes for such a long and successful marriage, he responds, "I tell people the 4 C's help to make for a happy marriage: communication, compromise, cuddling and comedy."