From the Rabbi’s Study - Harold F. Caminker,  D.D.           

30 Years in the Rabbinate

I've been thinking lately about the fact that it has been thirty years since I was ordained a rabbi.  It was a lovely Shabbat morning on June 2, 1978, in the historic downtown Cincinnati Plum Street Temple.  It doesn't feel like so much time has passed.  They say that time flies when you are either having fun or are very busy.  I can truthfully say that I have experienced an abundance of both during the past three decades of my life.

What I have learned, I learned "on the job."  However far I have come, I have not made the journey alone.  Whatever I may be is because of the love given to me by my beautiful daughters, Rachel, Sarah, and Leah, and the support and understanding of the members of my congregational family. 

Five years ago, in 2003, I was invited to receive the honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles. This degree is awarded to those who reach the silver milestone of 25 years of service in the rabbinate.  I was told that henceforth I would known as "Dr. Caminker."  This felt somewhat strange.  That does not mean that I did not fully appreciate and value the honor that was given to me by my seminary.  And yet, what I have always appreciated most of all has been the privilege of having spent so many years of being able to serve "Am Yisrael -- our people Israel."

A number of years ago, one of my older colleagues referred to his honorary Doctor of Divinity degree as his "Purple Heart."  His sarcastic allusion to the military medal awarded to combat personnel injured in the line of duty upset me deeply.  Being very young at the time and new to the rabbinate, I was shocked at the notion that my world-weary colleague had lost the sense of everything that is holy and sacred in our work.  Now, given the years that have passed, when I point to the gray hairs that used to grow on my head, I can assert that I earned each and every one of them.  The reason I shaved my beard of thirty years was because it too was turning gray.  Rather than being a measure of pain and wounds, it is actually a celebration of how far I have come and how much I have learned and grown over the years

I have received a number of congratulatory letters and emails from colleagues throughout the land.  One of the letters said it best:  "Dear Harold ... I just wanted to take a few moments to salute you on this joyous anniversary in your rabbinate.  Having myself reached the same milestone five years ago, I can tell you that it meant more to me than just surviving thirty years in our chosen calling.  It is really a recognition of a lifetime of dedication to our faith and our people.  You should feel honored.  My congratulations and prayers that you continue in this life work in good health

My dear Etz Chaim family, I treasure your friendship and your affection at this milestone moment in my life.  I have jokingly referred to my D.D. degree as my "Doctor of Durability" award.  In all seriousness, I am truly moved by what this occasion represents in my life and the lives of my children.  May God bless all of us with strength -- greater strength -- as we move on toward my next thirty.

"Kein yehi ratzon / May it be God's will"...

Shalom…

 Harold                         

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