A Message From Rabbi Daniel Schaefer

A Message From Rabbi Daniel Schaefer

I am thrilled to return home to Connecticut and become the rabbi at Mishkan Israel this summer. Over the last few months, I’ve been spending more time in Greater New Haven, searching for a house and preparing for the move. With each visit, different memories return - of meals enjoyed with friends, basketball games played, and trips into nature. 

 Memory is especially important in Judaism and to the Jewish people. The Hebrew word for remember - zachor - appears nearly 200 times in the Hebrew bible. Over and over we are commanded to remember - to remember Shabbat, our covenant with God, and our redemption from Egpyt. The historian Yosef Haim Yerushalmi in his book, “Zakhor: Jewish History and Jewish Memory,” argues that the commandment to remember has been central to the survival of the Jews over thousands of years.

 Synagogues in general, and Mishkan Israel, in particular are exceptional containers for our memories. When we enter the building and see familiar faces and places, we remember loved ones, times of joy and sadness, moments of building community and building a better world. CMI holds a lot of wonderful memories for me - running around the religious school hallways as a child during High Holy Day services, Purim carnivals, celebrating b’nei mitzvahs with friends and family, and much more. I know I’m not alone.

 I’m honored to help lead a community that holds significant memories for so many people and I’m excited to help create new ones. I look forward to celebrating simchas and holidays, learning together, and working to improve our community. I can’t wait to build those memories with you. There are so many things to look forward to this summer and beyond. I hope you’ll join us for a meet and greet, Shabbat service, or event this summer.

 L’shalom,

 Rabbi Daniel Schaefer