By Annette Pinder

Rabbi Alex Lazarus-Klein explains that Hanukkah, a simple holiday referred to as the Festival of Lights, represents light in darkness of winter and spending time with family. Traditions include lighting the menorah, spinning the dreidel, and eating fried foods like potato pancakes (latkes) and jelly-filled doughnuts. This year, Hannukah begins on December 25, 2024, and lasts through January 2, 2025.

Growing up in Philadelphia, Rabbi Alex thought about becoming a veterinarian or a cartoonist. “I loved humor,” he says. His high school yearbook page reflected his classmates’ predictions that he would become a rabbi, but nothing was further from his mind. After graduating from a Jewish Theological Seminary and Columbia University combined program, earning both BA and MA degrees, he realized he did not enjoy teaching. Instead, he found his passion for Judaism after starting a middle school program at a Jewish day school in Orlando. Upon returning to Philadelphia, he met with the Dean of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College who immediately told him that he was on the perfect journey.

“I love this profession,” says Rabbi Alex. “I compare it to falling in love. It’s a natural fit for me. In Yiddish, we say, it is ‘bershert’ (meant to be). Falling in love with my wife Ashirah was also ‘bershert.’ We met on a blind date after Ashirah, who was teaching in Boston, jokingly shared her hope to meet a reconstructionist redhead. An exact fit, we were engaged seven months later.” They have been married for 19 years and have three children — Jarah, Boaz, and Noam. “We’re not a traditional family, and we don’t force our beliefs on our children. We want them to have good values, ask questions, enjoy their friends, and have normal childhoods.”

Right now, Rabbi Alex is particularly excited about a grant-funded initiative called Resetting the Table (RTT). A national non-profit organization, RTT’s goal is to strengthen democracy through honest collaborative conversations by providing community leaders with tools and skills to bring about community transformation through communication skill-building workshops, facilitated community dialogues, multi-perspective educational resources, and decision-making forums. To date, RTT programs have reached more than 42,000 participants.

“Here in Buffalo, RTT has successfully opened unprecedented communication among divergent, influential leaders who never imagined they could be in a room together, let alone walk away with new insight, shared purpose, and even changed minds,” says Rabbi Alex. “We have conversations, and have learned to overcome fear of asking questions. It is beautiful to see this happen in a room of religious leaders, congregants, African Americans, liberals, conservatives, Christians, Jewish people, Muslim community members, ministers, organization heads, non-profits, and government leaders. We are listening, hearing, and understanding one another’s beliefs.”

Why is this so important? “Too often we are fighting against a world where we put barriers in front of one another. We can’t base relationships on political stances. I have friends who died in terrorist attacks. The world changes very quickly, and we are living in challenging times,” says Rabbi Alex.

His advice for being more open and accepting, and learning from one another? “Don’t give in to what you’ve been told. Don’t demonize. Be curious. Don’t view your neighbors as enemies. Our values are more similar than they are different. We are living in a time of immense change, globally and socially, that has given way to political unrest. People express nostalgia for what life was like in the past. They miss strong connections with others, feel frustrated with the economy, grieve for how quickly things have changed, and continue to endure the effects of the pandemic. The pandemic disrupted our lives. Despite enjoying our time together, we now realize the social repercussions from being shut in for so long.”

Rabbi Alex and his family enjoy spending time together outdoors, taking walks, hiking, and having dinners together, which he says can get complicated based on everyone’s varied food choices. “We eat simply, avoid processed foods, and it’s a family affair, loud and boisterous.”

Rabbi Alex serves on many local boards, and is a past president of the Network of Religious Communities. He works with leaders of all faiths to improve the quality of life in Western New York and beyond.

Rabbi Alex invites members of the community to experience a special Hanukkah event called Connecting Moanakkah, based on the Disney movie Moana, on Friday, December 20, at 7 pm at Congregation Shir Shalom, 4660 Sheridan Drive, Williamsville 14221. Visit https://shirshalombuffalo.org to learn more about Rabbi Alex. Learn about Resetting the Table at your own organization by reaching out to Rabbi Alex directly at lazarusklein@yahoo.com, or calling 716-633-8877.