My Nonprofit Reviews

Rabbi Brian Field is a very special person. Rabbi Brian is one of the rare members of the clergy who is able to step outside of the mainstream world of his faith (our faith) and ask with an open mind, an open heart, and with pure love, "How can I best serve the people in my community?" Not blinded by a desire to reach numeric goals, to raise money, to spread a certain dogma, or to justify his personal world view, Rabbi Brian goes above and beyond what we normally expect from a Rabbi. Judaism Your Way goes above and beyond what we expect from a synagogue. My family and I belong to a large, loving Reform community in Denver, which despite its wonderful staff, does not always offer us everything we need in terms of a personal expresssion of our spirituality. For years, I had a yearning, a quest, a desire for something more personal, more intimate, more profound in my Jewish practice. It's not often we speak of angels in Judaism, but Rabbi Brian was like an angel to me and my family. His deep love for Judaism is reflected in his willingness to study it, to wrestle with it, and to question it along with his informal congregation. Rabbi Brian trusts that Judaism is strong enough and deep enough to withstand hard questions, the challenges of assimilation, and modern changes and interpretations. He trusts Jewish wisdom, the process of personal and spiritual growth, and most importantly, he trusts us. On a practical level, Rabbi Brian is saving Judaism one person at a time, in my opinion. Many of the friends I have referred to Judaism Your Way had drifted from Judaism through inter-marriage, personal beliefs, self-doubt, and sometimes, sadly, a negative experience somewhere else. As each reports back their experience, I hear stories of feeling welcomed back into the loving arms of a community - one where people are not judged, people are not seen for how much they contribute financially, and people feel empowered, inspired, affirmed and deeply moved. As a para-professional community wedding officiant, I look to Rabbi Brian as the gold standard in my life of what it means to serve. He serves without judgment, he serves with honesty and integrity, and he serves with an abundance of love. Denver is a better place to have him in it, and the thousands of people his life has touched since he has been here will leave a legacy of beauty that cannot be measured. Here is an example of one of the many spiritual contributions Rabbi Field has made. Several years ago, my children and I attended High Holy Days services with Judaism Your Way. The service was held in beautiful Hudson Gardens. My children, 13 and 11 at the time, were dreading services -- the only ones they had been to until that time were very boring in their minds. "Why do we have to go?" they whined. When we arrived, Rabbi Brian gave them the choice to sit in the seats with the congregation, or to enjoy being nearby in the park where they could still hear the hymns and the prayers, but have a more personal, age-appropriate, spiritual connection with God. Of course, they chose the latter. To this day, they tell me how Rabbi Brian made them LIKE Judaism. They want their Jewish practice to always be as meaningful as that special service. They will never forget it. My only regret is not being able to return the friendship, the contribution, and the profound impact Rabbi Brian Field and the entire staff at Judaism Your Way has had on my life, and on the life of my children, to the extent to which they have personally contributed to me.

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