A new face of leadership is now in place at the Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue. Rabbi Michael Schwartz is now leading services and the congregation after an exhaustive search to replace retired Rabbi Judith HaLevy, who moved to Santa Fe, N.M., but who continues at MJCS in the position of Rabbi Emeritus.
“I’m excited about being here,” Rabbi Schwartz said. “I sense that the community is excited about our potential—of Malibu in general and MJCS in particular.” Schwartz began his new position this week and was welcomed at a Saturday service followed by a community potluck attended by 40 people, mostly congregants of MJCS.
Schwartz, who comes to Malibu by way of Palo Alto where he worked as a Jewish education director, has been a rabbi for nearly two decades. He has served Jewish communities all over the world including a congregation in Hong Kong, leading an international community of ex-pats from the U.S., Europe and Australia; a congregation in Brussels, Belgium, and directing education and human rights programs in Israel where he lived for 20 years. Schwartz and his wife, Tamar Forman, have four children ranging in age from six to 16.
The 49-year-old rabbi, who is completely new to Malibu, said he’s struck by the area’s beauty.
“Seeing the sunrise, the gorgeous ocean and hearing the quiet,” Schwartz reflected, “it’s beautiful.”
The rabbi has already started a weekly Torah discussion video filmed at the beach.
“The very idea of combining this amazing depth of possibility here—symbolized by the ocean and the sky—with the practical, ‘How do you live your day-to-day life?’ At that meeting point, I think is where Judaism really lives,” Schwartz said. “The big ideas and ideals—the practical realities of how you live your life by them in a very feet-in-the-sand, practical sense.”
As the new leader of the local Jewish community of more than 170 families, Schwartz explained he was attracted here because of the area’s size.
“It’s a real community. It’s small—you can really get to know people. Malibu, from what I can tell so far, feels like a small town,” Schwartz described. “I lived in a small town in Israel. My experience in Israel is you live Judaism as a civilization—Judaism as part of a people and part of a culture. That seems to be the very name of this Synagogue—the Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue. It’s got this idea it’s a place to pray and the whole religious element, which of course interests me very much, but there’s more than that. There’s Jewish culture, learning, ideas, experiences and food—the whole nine yards of what it means to be Jewish.
“There’s a strong emphasis on peoplehood,” he continued. “We are creating who we are and what our Jewish experience is going to be.”
Schwartz says he’s not only excited to meet all the congregants of MJCS, but also about “working hopefully with other clergy members in Malibu.”
“I did a lot of interfaith work in Hong Kong and in Israel with human rights groups and peace organizations,” the rabbi said. “It was rewarding. We embrace other cultures. I’m looking forward to meeting and working with them.”
Cantor Marcelo Gindlin, who has been a spiritual leader with the synagogue for 18 years said, “A new chapter is starting. The synagogue will be open to new generations.
“We’re creating that bridge between the generations,” Gindlin said. “I’m excited for the future of this synagogue. I am so excited to start this new paradigm with Rabbi Schwartz, because I feel the connection that will inspire the community. Together, not only partnering with him, but partnering with G-d to bring this synagogue to higher grounds.”
Schwartz echoed Gindlin’s sentiment.
“I hope with our programs we continue to have an inclusive place—inviting to people coming in,” Schwartz said. “I hope to reach out to others and engage our communities.”
The community is invited to call 310.456.2178 or visit MJCS.org for more information about the Malibu Jewish Center & Synagogue, their religious, educational and social programming, religious school or preschool. Upcoming events include Hand in Hand All Abilities Fair on March 18, Community Second Night Seder on March 31, LGBTQ & Ally Seder on April 1, weekly Shabbat morning services and Torah Study, The Art of Wine at Saddlerock Ranch, Malibu, on April 15, and Shabbat on the Beach this summer.
