Young Israel Of Forest Hills Installs Dynamic New Rabbi - Rabbi Leonard Oppenheimer,Phyllis Hochberg

As sunshine poured through the window of his office at the Young Israel of Forest Hills, Rabbi Leonard Oppenheimer, the shul's newly appointed spiritual leader, described his feelings about taking the place of Rabbi Feivel Wagner, zt"l, who was niftar suddenly last year, after serving as the shul's rabbi for over two decades.

"I am stepping into the shoes of a very great man," remarked Rabbi Oppenheimer, with deep reverence. "I never met Rabbi Wagner. In some ways I am sorry that I never met him, but in some ways it is better. With all the wonderful things that I hear about Rabbi Wagner - what a wonderful man he was - what a tzadik and talmid chacham - I don't know if I could have taken this job. I just know that I am the successor of an extraordinary person."

A friendly, unassuming and keenly intelligent man, Rabbi Leonard Oppenheimer is not your "typical" pulpit rabbi. He earned a Master's degree from Polytechnic Institute and possesses a law degree from Brooklyn Law School.

As a child, Rabbi Oppenheimer lived in Monsey, N.Y. He moved to Israel with his family when he was 14, but decided to return to the states where he attended the Yeshiva High School of Scranton, Pennsylvania. He subsequently returned to Israel to learn at Yeshivas Mir in Israel, and then studied at Machon Lev Jerusalem College of Technology where he earned his Bachelor's degree in electronics.

While in Israel, Rabbi Oppenheimer became involved with NCSY and Yeshiva Ohr Someach. "I really enjoy kiruv work, " he noted.

Rabbi Oppenheimer studied for semicha while in Yeshivas Mir, before officially entering the rabbinate. But he carved out his destiny soon after attending a lecture given by Rabbi Berel Wein. It was at that point that he realized he wants to do something meaningful for Judaism and the Jewish people. He became a talmid of Rabbi Wein and ultimately received semicha.

"Over the years, many of my rabbonim encouraged me to become a rabbi," he pointed out.

Just as he was finishing law school, Rabbi Oppenheimer was told about a small Jewish community in Portland, Oregon that was seeking a rabbi. He decided to check out the community, and at first took a position as their chazzan for Yom Kippur services. Almost immediately, they asked him to stay on as the shul's rabbi. "They liked me and I liked it there - so I decided to take the position." At the time, there were only about three shommer shabbos families attending the shul.

Rabbi Oppenheimer proved to be a stable force in Portland, with an understanding that it takes all kinds to successfully build a community. He and his family remained there for 10 years.

As his family grew, they decided it was time to move on. "By the time we left Portland, the neighborhood had a kosher bakery, a kosher deli, and a kollel has recently started there."

Rabbi Oppenheimer is married to the former Lonni (Elana) Weisberger from Flatbush. They have five children - Malka, 18; Dovid Ezra, 16; Ashira Hadiyeh, 14; Shimshon Rephoel, 12; and Yehudit 10.

After leaving Portland, the Oppenheimers relocated to Seattle, Washington, which is about 150 miles away. Rabbi Oppenheimer still drove back and forth to complete his work there.

Most recently, Rabbi Oppenheimer was recommended for the position at the Young Israel of Forest Hills by the placement office of Yeshiva University and was ultimately selected as the shul's new rabbi.

He views his position at the Young Israel of Forest Hills as an exciting challenge. One of the rabbi's objectives is to attract more young couples and reinvigorate the shul.

"Services should be stimulating and yom tovim should be lively," he stressed. "I would like people to see the shul as not just a place to daven, but more than that - it should be like an extended family."

Rabbi Oppenheimer aspires to bring a stronger sense of yiddishkeit to the community - especially among young people and those new to Orthodox Judaism.

"I hope to create a greater sense of unity and purpose especially with younger couples," he noted. "They should not feel as transients - but become more involved in the community." He pointed out that although many newly married Orthodox couples move into apartments throughout the neighborhood, many tend to move elsewhere once they have children and look for houses.

"This neighborhood has many great attractions," he declared. "The Forest Hills area is a quick and easy commute to the city; there are great schools; and the taxes are quite low. When everything is taken into consideration, buying a home here is more cost efficient that Five Towns and other popular areas."

Rabbi Oppenheimer is looking forward to the future with enthusiasm and envisions adding new dimensions to the Young Israel.

"I hope to continue Rabbi Wagner's good work and add some new energy," he concluded.

Read Comments (1)

comment from Portland
Date 12:06, 06-22, 07

In 20th century America, I learned that Jewish observance is illogical, inconvenient, and irrelevant.
Somehow, I suspected otherwise.
No experience confirmed my suspicion until the Oppenheimers came to Portland.
From them I learned that Jewish observance is emotionally powerful, intellectually demanding, and necessary to preserving civilized society.
The Oppenheimers meet you where you are and guide you to where you want to go using their uncommon gifts for warmth, wit, scholarship, music, frankness, and joy.
Forest Hills, great things await you. Don't stay home.