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Message: <br /><br /> If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/15849/full/15849/after-energizing-oakland-rabbi-to-take-on-columbus/ <br /><br /> <b>After energizing Oakland, rabbi to take on Columbus</b> <br /> Friday, June 15, 2001 | by <p>ALEXANDRA J. WALL </p> <br /><br /><p>When Rabbi Howard Zack arrived in Oakland to become spiritual leader of the Orthodox Beth Jacob Congregation, he was 27 years old and straight out of rabbinical school. He described himself and his wife, Linda, then 23, as "a young, idealistic couple with a vision for a community."<br /><br /> And that vision was "to create a modern Orthodox kehillah—not just about synagogue but creating community and communal institutions necessary for someone who chooses an observant lifestyle."<br /><br /> Now, 16 years later, with a synagogue preschool and a community day school that were both founded during his tenure, not to mention Holy Land Kosher Restaurant, the rabbi's original vision is largely realized. He also kashered another Oakland institution, the Grand Bakery. A chevra kadishah (traditional burial society) is also in place, offering training to others in the Bay Area.<br /><br /> So with his goal largely realized, the 43-year-old father of three girls, Etana, Shifra and Meira, is trading his pulpit in Oakland for one in Columbus, Ohio.<br /><br /> Beth Jacob was Orthodox-affiliated when Zack arrived, but it had no mechitzah, the traditional barrier separating the men from the women during services. That was common in the postwar era, Zack explained, as many Jews left the trappings of the Old World behind in an attempt to assimilate.<br /><br /> But later, as people began to feel more comfortable expressing their Jewishness, many began returning to the more traditional ways. Bringing back the mechitzah was just one of the changes Zack brought to Beth Jacob.<br /><br /> Some congregants left over the mechitzah, but more joined, he said. Moreover, "now there is an influx of dozens and dozens of young families from around the country and world, who essentially were looking for a very warm, vibrant community."<br /><br /> When the Zacks arrived, the congregation was made up largely of Holocaust survivors, and "their catch phrase was 'It's tough to be a Jew,'" Zack said. "I always said to them that we lost a generation because of that phrase."<br /><br /> Zack has tried to turn that around, hoping to inspire people to feel that "it's good to be Jew."<br /><br /> "The challenge was to create…an environment for positive change," he said. "I wanted to create an energy that people could grab hold of and wanted to take part in."<br /><br /> Zack described his congregation of 150 households as incredibly diverse, both in age and in level of observance. While this has been a challenge, Zack likes to think he has created an atmosphere at the shul of tolerance and respect.<br /><br /> "The young reach out to the older people, and people have friends much older than they are that they invite for Shabbat," he said. Also, "we have people who are not all that observant, and some who are fully shomer Shabbat, and there is a lot of learning and growing together. I take tremendous pride in being able to nurture that respect among members of our congregation."<br /><br /> Perhaps his greatest pride is in the opening of Oakland Hebrew Day School nine years ago, and that his eldest daughter, Etana, is in its first graduating eighth-grade class.<br /><br /> But now, she and her sisters will continue their education in Columbus.<br /><br /> Zack has accepted a position at a synagogue that is in a similar situation to that of Beth Jacob when he first arrived.<br /><br /> He will be spiritual leader at Agudas Achim or Congregation Torat Emet. The reason he doesn't know which is that currently the two represent divisions of a single 850-household synagogue that holds two services, one with a mechitzah, one without.<br /><br /> "The issue of the mechitzah has become a tremendous decision to look at, and they haven't resolved it yet," he said. "They are clearly two congregations in one."<br /><br /> If the congregation unites and decides to become more traditional, Zack will preside over the entire synagogue, but if there is an amicable split, he will lead the more traditional group.<br /><br /> Leaving the Bay Area after 16 years was not an easy decision, even though the Zacks are prepared for their new challenges ahead.<br /><br /> "It's very difficult for us to leave Oakland. It's a bittersweet time for all of us, as we have made lifelong friends here," he said. "But at the same time, I felt that for the opportunities for my children and wife as well, we're ready to make the move."<br /><br /> Congregants are sad to see him go, but to continue Zack's vision, they have hired another rabbi straight out of rabbinical school, Judah Dardik, who will begin in August.<br /><br /> While Zack has been an excellent teacher, counselor and religious leader, perhaps his greatest legacy is that of community-builder, said Jeff Shachat, the synagogue's president.<br /><br /> "Some people respond when the entire picture is clear," said Shachat. "But a visionary is somebody who is able to see the big picture, in advance of having all the brushstrokes fully articulated." Zack is one of these people, Shachat said. "That's part of his genius.<br /><br /> "What he's contributed is lasting in nature. His legacy is one of community-building. He had a great impact way beyond our shul, throughout the East Bay."</p> <p> </p>

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