Born in Grand Rapids and active
in USY, Pachter admits he has always
loved going to shul. As a boy, his family
moved for a while to Stonybrook, N.Y.,
where the family rabbi was William
Lebeau, former dean of the rabbini-
cal school at the Jewish Theological
Seminary (JTS) in New York.
“He really changed our lives,” Pachter
said. “I model myself after him. He’s
what I think a rabbi should be. He
was such a positive influence.” Lebeau
spoke at Pachter’s 10th anniversary cel-
ebration at B’nai Moshe.
A huge sports fan, congregants know
their rabbi will usually throw a sports
reference into his sermons.
“I look for life’s lessons that people
can relate to,” he said. “I tell a favorite
story about baseball being about leav-
ing home and returning home. I try to
find a way for people to think about
the quality of their soul.
"I’ve learned a lot from preparing
sermons. How to talk about God is
challenging. This is part of my own
theological journey that I’ll be on all
my life.”
During his pulpit career, Pachter has
been president of the Michigan Board
of Rabbis Michigan Region of the
Rabbinical Assembly, and has been a
member of the board of numerous orga-

nizations and Federation committees.
He received an honorary doctorate
from JTS in 2015. He also has taught
at Hillel Day School in Farmington
Hills and at the Jewish Community
Center’s SAJE program and at its Pitt
Child Development Center.
He started teaching at Frankel after
Rabbi Eric Grossman, then head of
Bible studies, heard that he was some-
what of an expert at biblical grammar.
“Rabbi Grossman hired me and
encouraged me to be a teacher, then a
full-time teacher, then an administra-
tor,” Pachter said. “He took a chance
and believed in me.”
Grossman, former FJA head of
school, will be guest speaker at
Shabbat services June 4.
On Sunday, June 5, at 4 p.m., the
congregation and the community will
celebrate Pachter with a program,
“This Is Your Life, Rabbi Pachter,”
hosted by local celebrity Alan
Muskovitz. Dinner, music and games
will follow the program.
Event co-chairs are Pearlena
Bodzin, Anne Rottman and Alisa
Peskin-Shepherd, with honorary chair
Dennis Deutsch.
For details, call the synagogue
office (248) 788-0600 or email
PachterMVR@gmail.com.

*

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