Shalom dear friends at Beth Shalom

Our New Zealand adventure is over and we have arrived in New York City to meet with supporters of Kol HaNeshama and to hang out with our daughter Rafa. It is a challenge to sum up our two and a half months in New Zealand. We met so many people and our experiences were amazing and varied. I would characterize our journey as close encounters with a wide variety of creatures! There were creatures on land and in the sea and the sky. There were people in general and many interesting Jews in particular. Our two months at Beth Shalom were deeply rewarding. At Kol HaNeshama in Jerusalem I was rabbi and service leader. I enjoyed working closely with the lay leadership of Beth Shalom especially for High Holiday services. It was a delicate balancing act – there was so much I wanted to share with you from my years of congregational experience and I also wanted to respect (and learn from) your congregational traditions. I hope we struck the right balance.

Beth Shalom sent me to the congregation in Wellington where Paula and I were truly enchanted. It is also a special congregation. JoEllen Ducker, who has been functioning in a para-rabbinic capacity is about to be ordained. I believe that it will be a turning point for Temple Sinai.

It was hard for us to stay away from Jews – so when we had our South Island adventure we visited the congregations in Dunedin and Christchurch. It was a treat to lead services in the southernmost Jewish community in the world. I must confess that it felt a little strange being the rabbi of a place called Christchurch even for one shabbat!

Even though every community had its own character we felt very welcomed and appreciated in all of them. It was moving meeting committed Jews in such faraway and isolated communities.

Then there were the other creatures we met that were no less interesting. We stayed at sheep farms. We swam with dolphins in Akaroa. I am still high from this inter-species encounter! We also saw lots of penguins in Oamaru and sea lions in Doubtful Sound. The trees were also amazing. We hiked though glorious forests and saw magnificent ancient trees.

It is true that the South Island is magnificent, but we were dazzled by the beauty of the North Island as well. We saw a lot but feel that there are many reasons to return. Almost every day Paula and I were filled with a sense of awe and gratitude. It felt like we were seeing the natural world for the first time.

We read the book of Genesis during this season. Abraham is held up as the model of the welcoming host. This is regarded as more than simply good manners- it is considered a divine commandment, the mitzvah of hachnasat orchim. The spirit of our ancestor Abraham is alive and well in Auckland. Thank you so much for making Paula and me feel so welcome. Your love for Auckland and the natural beauty that surrounds it really touched us. A special note of thanks to the leadership and staff of the congregation - it was a real privilege to work with you all! I wish Beth Shalom success in the continuing rabbinic search. I am sure we will be back and we hope you will come and visit us in Israel.

Levi Weiman-Kelman