THERE AND BACK AGAIN

“On March 18, 1850, two Bavarian immigrants named Zadock Levy and Amelia (Marie) Laufer were married in Cincinnati, Ohio.

On July 12, 1875, Zadock Levy signed his last will and testament in Nashville, TN. Listed among the charitable donations made from his estate was a $20 gift to the newly formed “American Hebrew Congress and College,” also known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (now Union for Reform Judaism) and Hebrew Union College (now Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion).

On May 8, 2021—nearly 150 years after the composition of that will—in the presence of beloved classmates, teachers, family and friends both near and far, Zadock and Marie’s greatgreat-great-grandson was formally ordained as a rabbi by that very same institution, in the very same county where they began building a new life together.”

Rabbi Ross Z. Levy’s ordination reflection excerpt is not only a powerful example of place; it is the embodiment of an enriching rabbinate that now takes shape and finds even deeper meaning at Temple Israel as Assistant Rabbi.

This summer, which marked one of both physical and philosophical transition from the West Coast to his now-Southern stomping grounds, Rabbi Levy spent extra hours amidst the move watching movies of J. R. R. Tolkien’s riveting tales. The Hobbit’s “There and Back Again” was perhaps more than a coincidental subtitle and pastime. The idiom reflects a round-trip meaning of life: to journey and return with a richer outlook.

“Ever since my first visit to Temple Israel, the feeling of ‘returning home’ has resonated deeply,” reflects Rabbi Levy. “To take all of my experiences and travels and bring them back with me—and, as a result, see a familiar place through new eyes—is such a thrilling and meaningful opportunity.”

“Home” is Tennessee, where Rabbi Levy was raised. He spent his formative years attending Nashville’s The Temple Congregation Ohabai Sholom, a sister Reform congregation of Temple Israel, where his family has belonged for five generations. He credits his passion for Judaism to childhood summers spent at Camp Barney Medintz in Georgia and his high school years as an active local, regional, and international leader in BBYO.

A graduate of The George Washington University in Washington, DC, Rabbi Levy received a degree in Religion and immediately enrolled in Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He spent the first of his five-year rabbinical school journey in Jerusalem, followed by four years on the Cincinnati campus.

“My first year in Israel was pivotal in terms of connecting not only with my new identity as a rabbi but also with others—including my classmate Rabbi Jeff Dreifus—as well as with the land of Israel.”

“Cincinnati then immersed me in the history of the Reform Movement,” reflected Rabbi Levy. “It’s pretty incredible to have studied each day in a place that not only shaped our Jewish tradition but also one that nurtured my own family heritage, as my great-great-great grandparents began our family in Cincinnati. Feeling the tangible legacy of this long history gave such meaning to my rabbinical foundation.”

While studying at HUC-JIR’s Cincinnati campus, Rabbi Levy served as a student rabbi and intern in cities including Cincinnati, Lafayette, Louisiana, Nashville, and Boulder, Colorado. He also spent one summer on staff at URJ Henry S. Jacobs Camp, which welcomes dozens of Temple Israel families year after year to Utica, Mississippi.

“My summer at Jacobs reinforced the significance of community in Jewish life and Southern Jewish life, in particular,” said Rabbi Levy.

“My mom grew up in Brooklyn, where being Jewish was in the air you breathed,” he described. “It was not something you had to actively and mindfully seek out and embody and practice in an active way. Being a Jew in the South, on the other hand, is about making that active choice to be part of a Jewish community and say ‘this is what I care about and this is who I am.’”

“You can set it aside and simply blend in without distinguishing yourself, but actively choosing has profoundly influenced both my personal and professional life. We often hear the phrase ‘Jew by choice’ as reserved for those who complete a conversion to Judaism. I think we are all realistically Jews by choice, and I’m proud of that.”

Following his ordination, Rabbi Levy spent two years in Los Angeles with Congregation Kol Ami. The synagogue serves a primarily LGBTQ+ community with innovative programming and music-filled worship.

“I experienced what it means to open your arms wide and use Jewish tradition as a tool to create a place of home and acceptance,” said Rabbi Levy. “I was excited to witness and foster a new, innovative definition of what a ‘synagogue’ means for people no matter their Jewish background. ”

Rabbi Levy is excited to bring a diverse path of experiences and resources to foster Jewish community building in Memphis and at Temple Israel. He hopes his own journey— both introspectively and geographically—inspires congregants to set out on their own journey to discover and nurture their love of Judaism.

“I see my job as connecting with people and connecting them to Jewish tradition through whatever inspires them. But I also see my job from a broader perspective of connecting Jews to one another,” he continues. “To create connections to one another and help them find their place under this incredible umbrella that is Temple Israel. That’s the most lasting thing. That is what ensures our congregation’s next 170 years.”

Lech l’cha: The joy of the journey.