In this spotlight, we hear from Rabbi Richard Prass, the Rabbi Educator at Congregation Beth Am in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. A 20-plus year member of the ARJE, Richard’s path into education opened up shortly after his ordination, leading him to a career dedicated to the intersection of rabbinic leadership and pedagogy. Below, he shares his advice for new professionals, his concerns about offering meaningful and rich content in Jewish education, and the enduring value of professional collegiality.
What led you to focus your rabbinic career on Jewish education?
I was ordained as a rabbi and, initially, I only planned for and knew pulpit work. However, a wonderful education opportunity arose at my first and only other synagogue, Temple Israel in New Rochelle, New York. It turned out to be a great fit professionally. It was also a wonderful fit personally being married to a congregational cantor. I've now been a member of this ARJE professional community for about 23 years.
What is the primary benefit you’ve found in being an ARJE member?
Without a doubt, it is the collegiality. The ARJE connect zoom calls and other webinars are a lovely opportunity to learn from colleagues around the country. And locally, I am blessed with gifted Jewish educators in the Chicagoland area who want to connect in order to share and challenge each other to grow both personally and professionally.
How have you seen the field of Jewish education evolve over the last two decades?
I sometimes worry that we are trying so hard to make everyone happy that we water down our educational product. I believe we have to work to maintain our standards to provide a high-quality educational experience while we are engaging people. It is a challenging juggling act. We need to trust our ancient texts, and help show their relevance for a new generation.
What advice would you give to someone who is new to the field or the organization?
I would say: learn Jewish. Don’t focus solely on education, pedagogy, and theory. It is essential to learn and master deep Jewish content as well. One of my professors at HUC once told me, "You don't have to like everything, but you have to love it all." You will find certain things and situations annoying, but you must always come to the work with a sense of love for the Jewish people, our heritage, and Jewish learning.
Who should we profile next? We want to continue highlighting the diverse voices and innovative educators within our community. If you want to nominate an ARJE member to be featured, please let us know here!