After three decades leading congregation, Long Grove rabbi ready for goodbye

Thirty years ago, Congregation Beth Judea in Long Grove was the Little Shul on the Prairie.

Since then, as the area has grown into a cosmopolitan suburb, the Beth Judea has evolved into the largest conservative congregation in the Northwest Suburbs.

One thing, however, has remained constant: the congregation's spiritual anchor, Rabbi Howard Lifshitz. He has performed the usual duties of a rabbi, officiating at services, presiding over weddings and funerals and teaching Torah. But Lifshitz has meant much more than that; he has been an integral part of the lives of those in the Beth Judea community.

“He is the only rabbi my kids have ever known,” said congregation President Bonnie Sender.

Over the weekend, the congregation celebrated its rabbi as he nears retirement June 30. The weekend celebration culminated Sunday in an often emotional dinner in which Lifshitz and his family spoke.

The dinner was punctuated by songs — both Yiddish and Tin Pan Alley standards — and a warm flow of reminiscences laced with much humor and even more affection.

Cantor Roger Weisberg joked how he and the Rabbi had walked down the aisles together at weddings, prompting someone to say they made “a lovely couple.” Noting that Abraham was 70 when God called him on the path, he said, “Based on Abraham, it looks like the best is yet to come.”

“This is even more than I expected,” Lifshitz said. “(Rabbis) often get to hear the criticisms people have of us, but we don't often get to hear the positive interactions. To have a weekend where people are telling me that I actually meant something to them and I had some impact on their lives is an astounding experience.”

It was the satisfying culmination of a journey for the Buffalo Grove resident that began with his early years in Chicago and continued with study at the Rabbincal School of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York City. His career has been distinguished by such honors as his service as president of the Chicago Region of the Rabbinical Assembly and recognition with the Simon Greenberg Award for Outstanding Rabbinic Service bestowed in 2001 by the Jewish Theological Seminary.

Lifshitz remembered that Beth Judea had a very small building when he arrived. Over the years, the building has expanded, as have the programs. And while a certain intimacy has been lost, he said, “I think we have gained a greater appreciation for the role that Judaism plays in the life of the Jewish community.”

“I never thought about being here forever,” but after the first couple of years, “it seemed like a wonderful match,” he added.

In speaking of his decision to retire, he said he has officiated at a lot of funerals where “a spouse says, ‘We have just moved to Florida. It's too bad my husband didn't retire sooner so we could have enjoyed this (longer).'”

Lifshitz said his wife, Gail, will continue to work as a teacher at Solomon Schechter Day School in Northbrook.

Gail recalled meeting the young Howard Lifshitz during a summer job at a congregation in Southfield, Mich., where he served as assistant rabbi. After going back to her teaching job, she received a call from her future husband asking her to meet for coffee.

“I had no idea it was a date,” she said. Not until the evening was over did she realize “he wanted to invite me into his life.”

Gail said it has been easy to share her husband with the community.

“Our life as a family has been enriched by his work here, and we, his family, are proud of how treasured and precious he is to the congregants of Beth Judea,” she said.

Daughter Jessica delivered some tender thoughts, calling her father the most accepting and loving man she knows.

“You all know the way my dad can guide people through the most difficult situations without ever once making it seem like he is telling anyone what to do,” she said. “And you all know the way my dad is able to make those around him see the very best in themselves. But what you can't know is what it is like to have him for a father. What you can't know is the way he has been able to make my sister and me feel like we are loved simply because we are his daughters.”

The best was saved for last, when Lifshitz addressed the assembly.

“Not many rabbis have the privilege of being in the same pulpit for so long,” he said. “You have lifted me up, you have had faith in me and you have taught me to have faith in myself and my abilities. Because of you, my name has been connected with an awesome enterprise — Congregation Beth Judea — and my days have indeed been filled with happiness.”