Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008 | midnight
Adam Watstein
Temple Beth Sholom is hosting a welcome dinner for its new assistant rabbi, Adam Watstein, at 6 p.m. on Sept. 12.
The dinner, at the synagogue, 10700 Havenwood Lane, is open to the public and costs $18 for adults and $6 for children. Reservations can be made by calling Temple Beth Sholom at 804-1333.
Following the Friday night Shabbat service at 7:30 p.m. will be a dessert reception in honor of Rabbi Watstein.
"It will be very festive with plenty of food," Watstein said. "It's going to be a chance for our community to come together and celebrate a new chapter in the growth and development of the synagogue."
Watstein, a native of Boston, will be Temple Beth Sholom's first assistant rabbi. The synagogue opened in 2000 and has a congregation of more than 600 families.
He moved to Summerlin on June 25 and officially took over as assistant rabbi on July 1.
"This has been a very welcoming arrival," Watstein said. "It feels very hospitable and everyone has made sure that I feel comfortable and a part of the community."
Watstein, 30, became heavily involved in Jewish communal work while attending college at Emory University in Atlanta, where he majored in Middle Eastern studies and minored in Hebrew.
After college he spent three years in Israel living in the cities of Haifa, Ashkelon and Jerusalem.
"I've always been dedicated toward social action and the Jewish community in general," Watstein said.
His new role as assistant rabbi will involve everything from cultivating relationships with young families to giving occasional sermons and participating in the ritualistic and religious functions of the synagogue.
"This community has experienced significant growth and the size of the congregation demands a second rabbi," Watstein said. "I'm grateful to be able to work under someone with the type of experience and knowledge as Rabbi Felipe Goodman."
Watstein will also be heavily involved in the education of Temple Beth Sholom's children, teenagers and young families.
"I take that role very seriously, because I want to make Jewish identity and Jewish education accessible and exciting for young people," he said. "It wasn't that way for me when I was a kid."
Jeff O'Brien is a reporter for the Home News. He can be reached at 990-8957 or [email protected].
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