Rabbi Zevi Lowenberg of Beth El Congregation grew up in what he called “the golden age of Baltimore and Pikesville rabbis.”
“Rabbi Mitch Wohlberg was on the bimah at Beth Tfiloh. Rabbi Mark Loeb and Rabbi Steven Schwartz were here at Beth El, and Rabbi Joel Zaiman was on the bimah at Chizuk Amuno. The four of them were, in my estimation, the real greats of the generation,” Lowenberg said.
It was that group, as well as other faith leaders, who inspired a young Lowenberg to reach the bimah himself one day. Now the Baltimore native is the newest rabbi at Beth El, a position he took on in June. He said there is no doubt that helping lead the congregation is a tall task, but it’s one he feels prepared for.
“[It’s an] immense responsibility, but also an incredible opportunity. I know firsthand the impact of great rabbis and supportive community, and so if I can play a part in bringing that to the next generation and giving them that same feeling of comfort and of home when they walk into synagogue that I had when I walked into synagogue, I am really, really proud to be mentioned in a way of having that impact,” Lowenberg said.
Lowenberg grew up a member of Chizuk Amuno, but his great-grandparents were founding members of Beth El and his parents were married in the synagogue’s main sanctuary. He has known the community well since before he took a job there, and said its reputation has meant a lot to him for much of his life.
“If you told me as a kid that I would get to work with Rabbi Schwartz and Rabbi Saroken, I’m not sure I would have believed you because it’s [such] an amazing opportunity. They have so much to teach and there is such an amazing chance to continue the golden age of Beth El Congregation,” Lowenberg said. “It doesn’t have to end, Beth El can continue to lead the Baltimore Jewish community into the next generation, and that’s the opportunity we’re presented with.”
Lowenberg said he and the rest of the team take that responsibility very seriously.
“It weighs on us in the best way,” he said. “As long as we hold onto it, really treasure it and help it grow.”
Lowenberg came to Beth El after a stint as an active-duty chaplain in the U.S. Air Force. He worked with military commanders on issues related to religion, ethics and morale, and supported service members, as well. He has conducted funerals at Arlington National Cemetery and led the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Jewish study group.
That was a job of high importance and consequence. For Beth El to pull him away from it, it must be a special place. Lowenberg said all he knew of the synagogue is that it is the type to support its rabbis, and the type whose rabbis support its members.
“The legacy at Beth El is that of caring for our clergy and the clergy caring for the community in a way that spans generations. We are now having [b’nai mitzvot] kids who are fifth-generation Beth El members — that’s incredible,” he said.
For Lowenberg, the legacy of Beth El is one that ties generations of families together. Part of what makes his place at the synagogue so special is that his family is one that can say that.
“It’s about to become the norm to have fourth- and fifth-generation [members], and so the responsibility of coming into a team where that is the norm — I love that. It’s the story of my family. My great-grandparents were founding members, and God willing, my daughter will have a bat mitzvah here and be among the fifth generation of Beth El members in my family,” Lowenberg said.
Lowenberg paused and considered the deep ties that his ancestors have to the shul, and then said that it means the world to him to be able to further that.
“My aunts and uncles had their b’nai mitzvah here at Beth El. My dad had his bar mitzvah here at Beth El. My parents were married at Beth El. Now to be the rabbi of my family shul, so to speak, it weighs on me in the best way because every day I want to make my grandparents proud.”
aguckes@midatlanticmedia.com
