Adam Rubin, Ph.D., a rabbinic student from the Ziegler School of Rabbinical Studies in Los Angeles, will lead services at Congregation Bet Shalom during the weekend of May 4-6. Rubin will lead Friday evening services at 6 p.m., which will be followed by a dinner, and will participate in Shabbat morning services, adult education Saturday afternoon, and a Havdalah event Saturday evening. On Sunday morning, he’ll lead a morning minyan service at 8:30 a.m. and teach in the religious school.
Rubin’s visit begins the expansion of rabbinic leadership at Bet Shalom, which is seeking to hire a student rabbi to visit the congregation monthly, augmenting the rabbinical presence provided by Jerusalem-based Rabbi David Ebstein, who comes to Tucson at least twice a year to lead services at Bet Shalom.
A third-year student at the Ziegler School, Rubin has been a member of the faculty at Hebrew Union College for more than 10 years. He has taught courses on Jewish history, literature and politics at HUC and at the University of Southern California. He received his doctorate in modern Jewish history from UCLA and has published articles on Hebrew and Yiddish culture in Eastern Europe and pre-state Palestine during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Bet Shalom will interview additional candidates from the Ziegler School, and plans to hold a similar Shabbat weekend event in June.
The cost of the May 4 dinner is $8 for adults, $5 for ages 3-12. There is no charge for children under 3. The Friday evening service will be preceded by a meet and greet at 5 p.m. For more information, call 577-1171.
