Har Sinai-Oheb Shalom Congregation celebrated two big anniversaries for its rabbi and rabbi emeritus on June 6 as the clergy members reached the 30- and 60-year marks since their ordinations.

HSOSC’s current senior rabbi, Rabbi Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi, Ph.D., and the emeritus of Oheb Shalom, Rabbi Donald Berlin, were honored for reaching these rabbinical milestones during Friday night Shabbat services.

The event was part of a rapid slate of celebrations for clergy as this dual anniversary came just a year after the congregation celebrated 60 years since the ordination of Rabbi Floyd Herman, the rabbi emeritus of Congregation Har Sinai, the other legacy congregation that merged to form HSOSC.

During the celebration of Berlin, Herman spoke about his long friendship with his fellow rabbi that stretches back almost 70 years and over 40 years of collaboration in Baltimore, showcasing the legacy the two have left behind.

Herman also praised Sabath and her warm treatment of him as the rabbi emeritus and wished her many more years of strong leadership as the HSOSC rabbi.

“It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our congregation and to bring multiple generations together to celebrate,” Sabath said.

She also said that there were people in attendance across several generations that came out to support and celebrate Berlin, and she reflected on the impact of Berlin’s several decades of service to the community.

“We had a celebratory preservice reception beforehand and there were congregants of five generations who were part of it, which is quite remarkable, and family and friends and other non-Jewish members of the community who have known and worked with him [Berlin] over many, many years he’s had. It was beautiful to see what an incredible impact he has had on people,” Sabath said.

During the event, Sabath sat down with Berlin and asked him several questions about being a rabbi and the life lessons he’s learned.

Berlin said that he has learned over the years that the role of a rabbi isn’t about himself, it’s about the community, and he added that in the audience coming out they weren’t just honoring himself and Sabath, but the entire congregation.

Berlin continued by saying that one of the biggest changes he’s noticed during his tenure is the acceptance of female rabbis, and that female rabbis have helped support him over the years and helped teach him how to have space for himself outside of his work.

He also imparted some reflections on the audience on the importance of being a good Jew, staying in the present moment and focusing on being a decent, caring person who wants to do good in the world.

After the event, Sabath shared some of her reflections on 30 years as an ordained rabbi and the three main chapters in her life during that time.

“One of the biggest changes has been the extent to which the Reform movement in North America has become more and more open and welcoming to all Jews and all those who are what we call Jewish adjacent, meaning non-Jews, who are married to or family members of Jews, and those who potentially are converts,” Sabath said.

She added that HSOSC has been a place where people of various identities can feel welcome and affirmed with their connection to Judaism throughout their individual journeys.

Sabath also reflected on the dramatically increasing acceptance of women rabbis since she started rabbinical school and the increasing plurality in the Reform movement over issues of gender and perspectives on Israel and Zionism.

Sabath recalled that the first chapter of her rabbinate was during time spent as an academic, teaching rabbinic students and rabbis at Hebrew Union College and Shalom Hartman Institute.

The second chapter was during a 15-year period where she lived in Israel, got married to a congregational rabbi and had three children while serving as a part-time rabbi for several congregations in the U.S.

Sabath said this full-time congregational rabbi position at HSOSC is the third chapter of her rabbinate.

While she’s only been with the congregation for four years, Sabath said that it was incredible to see all the people that came out to celebrate the anniversary and the impact she’s already had and looks to continue having.

”It was so powerful to see and feel all the love and support, to also see the impact of some of the things that I believe that they have brought to the community because of who I am, which include a deeper commitment to Torah study, to Israel and to social justice, and to see how our community is living all of its ideals, which as I like to say, we walk the walk, we don’t just talk the talk,” Sabath said.

bhamelin@midatlanticmdia.com