David Levinsky figured he had a pretty good shot at being named director of the Taube Center for Jewish Life. Clue No. 1: He e-mailed his resume at 11:15 p.m. By 8:30 the next morning, he’d already heard back.
The Palo Alto rabbi landed the job a week after that.
Levinsky departs his position as rabbi of Palo Alto’s Keddem Congregation to join the Taube Center, based at the JCC of San Francisco. Though sad to leave his friends at the Reconstruct-ionist synagogue, he’s pumped up about the new gig.
“As a rabbi, there are a lot of different platforms to bring Judaism to Jews and non-Jews alike,” he says. “The JCC really is the best platform. There’s a real openness toward innovative ideas.”
The Taube Center promotes Jewish literacy and learning through classes, workshops, lectures, literary programs and public forums. The center’s previous director, Yoel Kahn, left more than a year ago to become head rabbi at Berkeley’s Congregation Beth El.
A community reception for Levinsky takes place Sept. 17 at the JCCSF’s Fisher Family Hall. Taube Center founder Tad Taube will be on hand to formally welcome the rabbi.
Levinsky’s mission is to develop exciting Jewish educational programming. So far, the Taube Center has concentrated on seminars and lectures. But for the new director, the big question is, what’s next?
“We want to present diverse thematic programming in surprising ways,” he says. “My job is to create a forum where San Francisco diversity encounters Jewish culture and thought. One thing the JCC has done is to have themed programs that cross different departments.”
He cites as an example the JCC’s presentation, “Abracadabra: Jews and Magic,” coming up Dec. 7. Cantor-magician Manny Sperling will do tricks and give a spiel about famous Jewish magicians, from Harry Houdini to David Copperfield. Levinsky and the Taube Center will keep Sperling on for an “Abracadinner,” a magic-themed Shabbat.
A native of the Chicago suburb of Northbrook, Levinsky grew up in a Reform household. As he moved into his college days at Indiana University, he under- went what he calls “an awakening, a personal search, in which I practiced Judaism in a lot of different ways. As part of figuring out who I was, I had to figure out how I was Jewish.”
His search led him to explore all streams of Judaism — as well as rock ‘n’ roll (he played guitar in a band). Ultimately he wound up back where started, in the Reform movement. He attended Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles and Cincinnati, along with a year of study in Jerusalem.
His time in L.A. convinced him to settle in California permanently. After ordination, he settled in Palo Alto, with his wife, Kate, and now-4-year-old son, Noam. While serving Keddem Congregation, Levinsky also began working on his doctorate at Stanford University. His dissertation — now nearly complete — examines Judaism, Christianity and Greco-Roman polytheism in the first six centuries of the common era.
Leaving the ancient world behind, Levinsky is busy dreaming up new programs for the Taube Center and the JCC. He’s kicking around the idea of celebrating the life and work of Albert Einstein, similar to the JCC’s big Freudapalooza from a few years ago.
Though he doesn’t have a pulpit anymore, Levinsky is eager to apply his rabbinic skills and knowledge in new ways.
“I’m really excited about the shift,” he says. “This is an absolutely amazing position and opportunity, and I’m fortunate to be able to do this.”
The Taube Center for Jewish Life presents a community reception welcoming Rabbi David Levinsky at 5 p.m. Sept. 17 at the JCC of San Francisco, 3200 California St., S.F. For more information or to RSVP, call (415) 292-1299 ext. 1164.