We are grateful for the support and input of our members. We heard about your hopes for our shared future, and we are very inspired. You want a rabbi who has compassion and warmth, the ability to reach all ages, a deep understanding of Torah, the desire to create more learning opportunities, and the capacity to reach people with varied levels of knowledge and observance. You shared a vision of a rabbi who could be a spiritual guide, teacher, visionary leader, and a community builder within TIS and both the San Diego Jewish community and our community at-large. Rabbi Hanan perfectly matches these wishes and hopes.
During his most recent visit, Rabbi Hanan was able to spend time with each member of our professional staff learning and dreaming about the future of TIS. Together, our professional team is excited to work collaboratively as we move into this next chapter of our congregation’s future.
Over the past several years, we have learned that the TIS community is strong, grounded, and poised for this next stage. We believe that Rabbi Hanan is the right person to incorporate the best of our traditions while bringing innovative ideas and ruach (spirit) to our congregational family. We are so excited to welcome Rabbi Hanan and his family home to TIS.
On behalf of the TIS Board of Directors, I want to again thank all our members for your patience, support, and momentum that has brought us to this moment.
Chazak, chazak, v'nitchazek (from strength to strength, may we be strengthened),Lisa Hernandez
President
There is a special warmth that one feels when walking into Tifereth Israel Synagogue. It might be during a Shabbat morning service when congregants greet new faces in the sanctuary, at morning minyan with our very dedicated minyanaires. It might be Torah School when children receive the ancient wisdom of our faith, or at Silverman Preschool hearing the joyous voices of babies and young children. Maybe it’s the warmth of holiday celebrations, or even the challenging times that make us hold each other just a bit tighter. It could be at a rocking Sisterhood gathering, or at a delicious Men’s Club event. It could be the bright smiles from the caring front office team, or the dedication of our maintenance professionals who keep our synagogue looking and feeling holy. Perhaps it’s the blend of families who have many years at TIS (even multiple generations) and new families who amplify the warmth of our community.
While I can't pinpoint exactly what makes TIS so welcoming, I have always felt at home here. The walls seem to embrace us with millennia of passed-down wisdom and love. After seven years as your visiting Chazzan, I am now humbled and honored to be embraced as your Rabbi. My wife, Ariel, and my children, Leo and Charlotte, are excited to begin this next chapter of our lives at Tifereth Israel.
Through Mitzvot like Ve’Ahavta Le’Reacha Kamocha (Loving your fellow as yourself), Tzedakah (charity), Tefillah (prayer), and Gemilut Chasadim (acts of loving kindness), we, as a community, will grow and become a source of strength for each other, for our broader community, and for the world. As your Rabbi, I invite you to join me in continuing to cultivate the garden that is Tifereth Israel with devotion, prayer, music, community, education, tradition, celebration, and love. Together, we can create an orchard that will provide fruit for our children’s children and feed the world.
Toda Raba (thank you) for welcoming our family into the Tifereth Israel family.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Hanan, Ariel, Leo, and Charlotte