by Rabbi Gerald Sussman and Bonita Nathan Sussman
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are that of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the Union for Traditional Judaism, unless otherwise indicated.
In this article in Asian Jewish Life, Rabbi Gerald Sussman and Bonita Nathan Sussman discuss their experiences with the Bene Ephraim.
In south-eastern India, isolated from the established Jewish communities of India and world Jewry, live the Bene Ephraim of Kotah Reddy Palem, India in the central state of Andra Pradesh.
From 19 July to 7 August 2007, my husband and I visited with this unknown Jewish community as volunteers for the outreach organization Kulanu. This small community’s needs are great but they are hospitable and warm, eager to reconnect and establish connections with the worldwide community of Jews.
. . .
>Here is our journey:
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A founding member of the UTJ, Rabbi Gerald Sussman presently serves as the organization’s executive director. He was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 1979. He has served as rabbi of Temple Emanu-El of Staten Island, a traditional congregation, since 1982 and is the longest serving rabbi in the Staten Island community.
Rabbi Sussman serves the community in many ways. He is a rabbinic advisor to Kulanu, an organization that supports returning, emerging and isolated Jewish communities around the world. In that capacity, he and his spouse, Rabbanit Bonita Sussman, who serves as vice-president of that organization, have traveled across the globe to such diverse places as Papua New Guinea, Madagascar, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Gabon, India and Nicaragua.
A pursuer of social justice, Rabbi Sussman is also president of Project Hospitality, an organization dedicated to helping the homeless, hungry, substance abusers, mentally ill, those suffering with aids and new immigrants.
He has been involved in numerous interfaith efforts and is a founder of the Building Bridges Coalition, which promotes interreligious cooperation in the Staten Island community. Rabbi Sussman is also president and founder of the Staten Island Jewish Historical society and serves veterans as chaplain of Jewish War Veterans Post 80 on Staten Island.
Despite his widespread activism, UTJ is Rabbi Sussman’s passion. He believes that its message of an open-minded Judaism that is moderate and authentic is what the broader Jewish community needs. He sees the UTJ playing a critical role in serving as a balance between religious extremism and secularism.
Rabbi Sussman blogs for the Times of Israel here.Rabbi Sussman and his wife Bonita are the proud parents of five children and many grandchildren.