Meet Rabbi Ephraim Rubinger

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RABBI RUBINGER'S OFFICE HOURS

Monday	Day Off
Tuesday	3:45 PM -7:30 PM
Wednesday	10:AM -3:00PM
Thursday	10-AM 3:00 PM
Friday	10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

The rabbi is always available for emergencies at
352-624-7390 (home) 305-213-9955 (cell)

Biography

Rabbi Ephraim Rubinger received his BA degree in Judaica and Political Science from Yeshiva University. He then earned a Masters degree in Hebrew Literature and his Rabbinic Ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He subsequently received a Masters of Education in Administration and Counseling from Xavier University. In addition, Rabbi Rubinger received a Three Year Certificate in Psychotherapy from The Long Island Institute for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy and has done extensive work as a psychotherapist.

A pioneer in the integration of health and religion, while he was at the Oceanside Jewish Center, Rabbi Rubinger created the first annual Jewish Healing Service on Long Island, a practice that he continued when he became the Rabbi of Congregation Beth El in Massapequa, New York. During this time, Rabbi Rubinger also served as the Jewish Chaplain of Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, New York. He created and facilitated a number of support groups, including a Cancer support group, another support group called "Parents of People with AIDS", and several bereavement groups.

As a Jewish response to hunger, poverty, homelessness and other social ills, Rabbi Rubinger created an organization called HUB, an acronym for "HaShem's Unfinished Business". HUB provided weekly volunteers for soup kitchens, a choral group that would perform at nursing homes, and visitation of the sick and elderly. Under Rabbi Rubinger's leadership, HUB created the Alix Rubinger Kosher Food Pantry of Long Island, named after his late wife who originally conceived of the idea. The Alix Rubinger Kosher Food Pantry, which is still operating, serves Jews and non-Jews alike.

A noted lecturer and teacher, among Rabbi Rubinger's specialties are Bible studies, Jewish Spirituality, Hassidism, Jewish Medical Ethics, Judaism and Healing, and Israel and Zionism. He has taught at various synagogues throughout the United States, as well as at The Florence Melton Adult Institute. His passions include Torah study and Israel. Additionally, he is an excellent writer and has authored a number of creative liturgical services.

Though raised in an Orthodox milieu and educated at the Conservative theological seminary, Rabbi Rubinger considers himself a Reform Jew whose rich and varied background enables him to assist his congregants in making informed choices as to their Jewish way of life in the twenty-first century.

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September 2010

Let me be honest with you in a way that I have never been before: The last thing I want to be doing right at this moment is writing a Bulletin article. For many Rabbis, this time of the year might be dubbed "August Blues/September Trauma." It's sermon -writing time! My father used to call it, "The Crazy Season."

Writing sermons for the High Holy Days is a lot different than writing sermons during the rest of the year. When I write a sermon for an ordinary Friday night, I know that, at best, the attendance will not be a large one, and that there will be another sermon next week, and the week after that, and the week after that, etc. If the sermon turns out to be 'bad," "uninspiring," or "dull," I can make up for it the following week.

This is not the case with High Holy Day sermons. Not only is the attendance much larger, but I believe that something happens to my fellow Jews beginning sometime in mid-, to late August. People who may not have had a Jewish thought the year round, somehow become terribly excited and serious about being Jewish during this time of the year. I am not saying this cynically. I value the spiritual resolves that people have during High Holy Day time, even though they may not follow through for too long. I know that during the Days of Awe, I have a better chance of "getting to you" than at any other time of the year. If there is any chance I have of bringing you closer to Judaism, it is now.

So, while during the rest of the year I might not think about what I am going to say Friday night until the Wednesday, or even Thursday before, when it comes to High Holy Days, there is an alarm that goes off in very late June or early July. There is a whisper in my ear that says, "You’d better start thinking about it now."

To be sure, my High Holy Day alarm has a "snooze button" which allows me to put off thinking about it ‘till the last week in July if I am confident enough. At any rate, when July arrives, I go through what I call my "prowling" stage; that is, I am literally prowling for sermon material. I read more books and articles, watch more movies, pay more attention to conversations and news stories in July and August than at any other time of the year; all in search of sermon materials. I begin to see everything with "sermonic eyes."

Now, around late August or early September, I begin having my Kol Nidrei nightmares. What, you ask, is a ‘Kol Nidrei nightmare?’ It goes something like this: I am under the impression that I have written all of my High Holy Days sermons. They are good and I am proud of them. The scene now shifts to the Temple pulpit on Kol Nidrei night. At the appropriate time, I come to the podium, open my High Holy Day sermon folder, and then I realize to my absolute horror that, while I have written all my other High Holy Day sermons, for some reason, I forgot to write one for Kol Nidrei night! I look out at the entire congregation and you are all waiting in anticipation for what I am going to say on this most sacred night of the year. I again look down on the blank sheet of paper in front of me. I tell myself this must just be a bad dream. This really cannot be happening. I pinch myself. No, it is not a dream. It's real. So I say, "Well, listen folks, you know I really forgot to write a sermon for tonight just like ... well ... just like some politicians forget to pay taxes." You all laugh, thinking that this is a joke that serves as an intro to the sermon. However, I just remain silent and it is beginning to dawn on you that this is not a joke. Just when the "boos" start coming, I finally do wake up. I am bathed in perspiration. I quickly get out of bed, go into my study, and write myself an email saying: "Don't you dare forget to write a Kol Nidrei sermon!" I sleep well for the rest of the night and when I get up, I open the email I wrote to myself and say, "Ah, it is just a dream after all."

Now, why I am confiding all this to you? Well, aside from the fact that I have to write a Bulletin article, I also want you to know that I take my sermon-writing for the High Holy Days seriously. I want you to know this because I am hoping I will get some feedback from you. No, I am not fishing for compliments, though they are always appreciated. I am "fishing for dialogue." I would like your comments about what I am saying. Tell me where you agree, where you disagree, what effect the sermon had on you, etc. I always read and answer my emails, and I would love to hear from you.

Have a wonderful New Year.

With affection, 
Ephraim Rubinger, Rabbi