20 | JANUARY 4 • 2024 J
N
W
hen Temple Kol
Ami’s Rabbi
Natalie Shribman
first told her parents about
her installation weekend,
the response was, “What’s an
installation?” This being the
first installation experience
for either her or her husband,
Rabbi Benjamin Altshuler,
the rabbi struggled with an
answer!
So, her mother did some
research and shared with
Shribman that a rabbinic
installation “is a sacred
occasion where the rabbi, the
congregational leadership
and the entire congregation
come together to express
their commitment to the
future of their synagogue and
the Jewish people,” Shribman
said.
“The installation
proclaims a new chapter
has begun for both the
rabbi and the congregation.
This installation is a
time to review, recount
and reenact the history
of the congregation and
highlight the significant
accomplishments of the
congregation.”
And with that, she
chose the Shabbat during
Chanukah for her special
weekend because “when
lighting the chanukiah, we
use the shamash to light.
The shamash creates the
light and the beauty of the
holiday. In an installation,
the congregation becomes
that shamash to create the
celebration.”
Shribman invited two of
her mentors, Rabbi Ron
Symons and Rabbi Gila
Ruskin, to participate in the
special Friday night Shabbat
service. Shribman has known
Rabbi Symons for 15 years,
having grown up with him
and then shadowing him
for a year at Temple Sinai in
Pittsburgh.
“He would take me to
funerals, weddings, adult
education, to name a few. He
would then spend time with
me reflecting, helping me
learn that this could be a job
I could do and really enjoy,”
she said.
Ruskin (who grew up
at Temple Kol Ami) was
Shribman’s assigned rabbinic
mentor from ordination and
advised her to apply for the
TKA job.
“(She) has mentored
me through the Central
Conference of American
Rabbis for four years,”
Shribman said. “She has
supported me through some
challenging job changes in
Wisconsin and has always
helped me realize my impact.”
OUR COMMUNITY
Rabbi Natalie
Shribman
Installed at
Temple Kol Ami
She is only the fourth senior
rabbi in TKA’s 57 years.
PAUL GROSS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
Rabbi Ron Symons
blessed Rabbi Shribman
and handed her the Torah.
Rabbi Shribman with her family, who traveled in from San Francisco,
Chicago and Pittsburgh for the installation weekend