Student rabbi to serve Temple Israel
Lisa Kingston is the newest student rabbi to serve Temple Israel in Uniontown. Kingston arrived this week for her first visit to Fayette County, coming from Hebrew Union College in New York in time for Rosh Hashana, the start of the new year.
She met the congregation at a dinner at Generations restaurant Wednesday before the evening service and also officiated at a service Thursday. The congregation of Temple Israel meets at the Uniontown Jewish Community Center.
Kingston will return for Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. Services will be held at 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 17, and 10 a.m. and 3 and 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 18.
“This is my first position and I have a lot of growing to do and I appreciate the chance to do that here,” said Kingston.
Student rabbis have been serving Temple Israel since 2003, following the retirement of Rabbi Sion David after 27 years of service to the congregation.
Temple Israel had 125 to 130 members when David arrived in Uniontown in 1976. Today, the congregation has less than 20 members.
The congregation has been meeting at the Uniontown Jewish Community Center, located at 406 W. Main St., since 1995, when the congregation moved from its former location at 119 E. Fayette St., a building it had used since 1907. Uniontown has two congregations: Temple Israel, which is reformed, and Tree of Life, which is conservative.
David helps out the congregation but the students come once a month to officiate at services and hold the title of rabbi.
“They play an important role in keeping Temple Israel alive,” said David.
Kingston is a native of Hartsdale in Westchester County, N.Y., a suburb of New York City. She earned a bachelor’s degree in religion from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., in 2005 and then lived in Israel from 2006-07 while working on a master’s degree in education from Hebrew Union College. She completed her master’s degree in 2008.
She entered rabbinical school in 2009 with advanced standing since she had already spent a year in Israel. But this past year, Kingston received a three-year Tisch Fellowship for synagogue leadership, so she is expecting to graduate in 2013.
Speaking about her decision to become a rabbi, Kingston said, “I grew up in a congregation, Woodlands Community Temple in White Plains, New York, and I think my family and the congregation did a great job in making me feel at home and encouraged my interest in Judaism. I had two great mentors there – Harriet Levine, an educator, and Rabbi Billy Dreskin. They were always great role models to me.”
Kingston served an internship in the Department of Life Long Learning at Temple Emanu-El in New York City, one of the oldest reform synagogues in the country. She has continued working there. The department includes a religion school, adult education and family programming.
Kingston’s recent visit to Fayette County was her first trip to western Pennsylvania, and she said she enjoyed the countryside on the drive from the airport to Uniontown.
“I’m really excited,” Kingston said of working with Temple Israel. “I know almost every student (who has been rabbi here) and they all have wonderful things to say about the community.”
She noted that Temple Israel’s services are open.
Kingston said, “Anyone’s welcome to come even if you are not Jewish but want to learn more about Jewish services.”
Dr. Barbara Wilhelm is president of the Temple Israel congregation. More information is available on-line at www.templeisraeluniontown.com.