Alum Spotlight: Rabbi Ruben Bar-Ephraim '93

Alum Spotlight
Rabbi Ruben Bar-Ephraim ’93
Or Chadash Congregation, Rumlag, Switzerland

Ruben Bar-EphraimWhat is your mission as the rabbi of your congregation in Switzerland?
My mission is to lead my congregation on its spiritual journey. I teach Judaism and encourage my congregants to take part in the life of the congregation.

How does your work strengthen the Jewish community in Switzerland?
I hope to inspire congregants to live their Jewish life parallel to their active participation in general society. The European reality of Jewish history makes it challenging for many Jewish people to be open about their Jewish identity.

How did your education at HUC prepare you for your career?
Besides the Jewish upbringing that my parents, of blessed memory, gave me, and the fact that I grew up in the Jewish community in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and in a vibrant liberal congregation, HUC-JIR has strengthened my deep connection to the Jewish tradition and gave me the tools to translate that connection into the rabbi I am today.

Describe HUC in one word: Bedrock.