One of his missions in life is to make people smile.
Not a quick, polite smile. An ear to ear grin, perhaps accompanied by an eyeroll, but always aimed to lighten the heart and the burdens it carries, both seen and unseen.
I am grateful for the almost five years I’ve known him.
Who am I talking about? The Rabbi with the twinkle in his eye and oldest, corniest, and funniest stories in Rockland. Of course, I could only be writing about one person. Rabbi Paul Kurland has spent the last 29 years in rabbbinic leadership at Congregation Shir Shalom and its antecedent congregations. He has led his congregations through great celebration and through dark moments. He has spoken up for those who society has sometimes left behind, and he has raised his voice in defense of our homeland. He never fails to have a kind word, a comforting thought, or an inspiring Dvar Torah. I’ve watched him preside at funerals, advocate to the government, stand in sub-zero, windy, extreme conditions singing Maoz Tzur at a Menorah lighting, and do everything humanly possible to raise money or send needed help to Israel in its time of need.
Rabbi Kurland has led his congregation, and also led his peers, chairing the Rockland Board of Rabbis. He has served the broader community presiding over the Hudson Valley region of the Rabbinical Assembly, as well as the Clarkstown Board of Ethics. He has worked with Rabbinic peers and clergy from all faiths. He has brought and continues to bring people together.
When our mission to Israel this past November visited the site of the Nova Festival near the Gaza border, we had already visited the memorial at the Sderot police station that had been overrun, the car memorial at Tekuma, the devastated community of Nir Oz, and the bus stop shelter where so many perished. The sun was going down, and with artillery booming in the distance, we confronted the memorial to hundreds of souls in the failing light. We had just heard from Rami Davidian, a hero who saved dozens and dozens of people that day, and who broke down as he shared his struggle to work through the trauma.
At that moment, Rabbi Kurland, accompanied by his friend and colleague Rabbi David Berkman, explained and contextualized how important it was to lift up our spirits as well as the neshamot of those taken from us, as we gathered to say kaddish. It was such a meaningful message, and I know lifted up each and all of us.
I could write more, about his pride in his boys, his love for Gerri, and the joy they took in creating meaningful and fun programming and video content for children, or about the honors he has received from JTS, from the RBA, and many other organizations. But no description would do justice to the warmth of his smile, the undercurrent of wisdom in the winding conversations of a two-hour car ride, or the esteem in which I and his colleagues on the Board of the Jewish Federation and Foundation of Rockland County hold him.
Congratulations to Rabbi Paul and Gerri Kurland on being honored by Congregation Shir Shalom last Sunday, and best wishes on his upcoming retirement after three decades of leadership. Our community is filled with gratitude, and I will always know who to call when I need sage advice and a good laugh.