Michael Weinstein, the new leader of Fredericksburg’s Beth Sholom Temple, didn’t take a traditional route to becoming a rabbi.
“I actually hated school growing up and dropped out of college my first time around,” said the 42-year-old Cincinnati native. “Like many twentysomethings, I worked in restaurants and retail, and eventually found myself bartending at night and working in real estate during the day.”
One morning looking in the mirror, Weinstein had what he calls his “quarter-century crisis.” “When I thought about the place I’d been happiest, I realized it was when I was attending the synagogue while growing up,” he said. “That was a pivotal moment that led to me becoming a Rabbi.”
Weinstein returned to school, earning a degree in Philosophy from the University of Cincinnati. He considered pursuing social work, until a mentor persuaded him to think about rabbinical school. Weinstein realized how much Judaism meant to him.
Weinstein had been teaching Judaic principles to youth, and he discovered the interfaith factor that was prevalent among those he taught. In order to prove his academic abilities and as a way to explore that aspect of faith, he pursued a graduate degree in Christian Theology. He then attended Hebrew Union College, and became a Rabbi.
The Weinstein’s moved to the Fredericksburg region in July 2015, after serving in larger cities, including Atlanta and Boston. “Fredericksburg has a quaintness about it and the small town feel that we were looking for,” Weinstein said.
Beth Sholom is the only synagogue within 50 miles, and serves people from different religious traditions.
Weinstein believes his diverse background and family life have helped prepare him to serve a diverse congregation. “Interfaith families are becoming more prevalent, and I actually am an example of that,” he said. “My wife Laurie is a Jew by choice, and my in-laws are Protestant.”
“Beth Sholom is a smaller congregation of about 140 families, and it is an intimate community of congregants who take a lot of ownership and responsibility for their synagogue, ” Weinstein said.
“When I married this community, I inherited the practices and traditions of the congregation,” he said. “Right now I am doing a lot of listening, and I’m figuring out the rhythm and culture of the community. It has already been a big change for me to come in, and my first job is to get to know all of the members. Then we can make a decision about where we want to go.”
Beth Sholom is located at 805 Lyons Blvd. in Fredericksburg.
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