Ten years after his official retirement, Rabbi Samuel Broude is taking on yet another challenge — as the new spiritual leader of Congregation B’nai Israel in Vallejo.
After 23 years of service at Oakland’s Temple Sinai, where he is rabbi emeritus, Broude found the prospect of a sedentary life of leisure less than appealing.
“Retirement is highly individual,” said Broude, who is 75. “Everyone responds to it differently.
“Some like to be totally free of responsibilities, while others like to keep busy. I found at the beginning, that I needed to get away, travel, do some writing. But after a while I found that I have a need or a desire to continue doing rabbinical things.”
And that’s what he’s been doing, filling in for colleagues at synagogues throughout the Bay Area. And then the opportunity at Solano County’s only synagogue, the independent B’nai Israel, came up.
The search for a new rabbi began about a year ago, when B’nai Israel’s Rabbi David Kopstein left to take posts in Hawaii and New Zealand.
“It’s been an arduous process, until Rabbi Broude came into the picture, and then it went smoothly,” said Jeff Cohen, chairman of the synagogue’s rabbi selection committee.
“We were looking for someone who would be a good match with the congregation, who is tolerant of diversity, tolerant of mixed marriages, and of the various levels of religious commitment represented in our congregation.”
The search committee, he said, was also “looking for someone knowledgeable about the core traditions and teachings of Judaism, someone who could be a good role model for the children and the congregation as a whole.”
After auditioning a number of candidates, the congregation selected Broude for the part-time position.
“He has a kind nature, is soft-spoken, well- spoken and he doesn’t bring ego into his interactions,” said Cohen. “He’s warm, friendly and easy to talk to.”
Broude, who began his duties at the 150-household congregation last month, was attracted by both the physical setting and the membership.
“It’s a lovely spot,” he said. “There’s a certain intimacy there. And the people I’ve talked to are enthusiastic and there’s a real sense of family within the congregation, and a feeling of involvement, and that is terrific. I would like to expand on that if possible.”
Broude will continue to live in Oakland, commuting to Vallejo.
Like any relationship, that of a rabbi and a congregation takes time to develop, he notes. He plans to observe B’nai Israel, its ways and traditions, before making any changes.
There are certain obligations a rabbi must meet, he acknowledges.
“You try to inspire and comfort people, especially within a Jewish context, and I want to find ways to show people how Judaism relates to everyday life. I think it’s a realistic approach to life, that takes reality and infuses it with some sense of spirituality. That’s the rabbinic challenge.”
It is that sense of challenge that, in part, prompted Broude to come out of retirement.
“I derive a sense of being needed from my work,” he said, “and it’s wonderful to feel needed and to give something to others.
“I love to teach Judaism. Not about Judaism, not what you could get from a good book,” he said, but what occurs when people inspire one another “to ‘do Jewish,’ to live Jewishly. That is the goal. And it gives me a lot of satisfaction if I can do that.”
But there is another element motivating Broude out of retirement, and that is his own wish for involvement in a Jewish community.
“Letting go of a community after 23 years left a void,” he said. “I need to be part of, and to relate to a community.”
And that sense of connection is exactly what the congregation is seeking, members say.
“It’s funny how this kind of thing happens,” said Broude, “I didn’t plan it, it’s just one of those things — from the song of the same name — Cole Porter, you know.”