Rabbi Roni Tabick is rabbi of New Stoke Newington Shul. He was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. With a Masters in Ancient Judaism, Roni specialises in Talmud, mysticism and Jewish Mythology, especially the Leviathan and other sea monsters.
“As the child of two rabbis, the question I was asked the most growing up was probably whether I would enter the family business. “No way”, I would answer, “I’m going to do something completely different like teach philosophy”.
I think I was probably the only one who didn’t see my change of heart coming.
The realisation that I too wanted to be a rabbi came to me while I was studying Philosophy in Oxford. Taking a course in the philosophy of religion, and having to prepare essays to be read aloud to my tutor every week, I had the strange desire to turn my essays into sermons. I wanted to bring in verses from the Torah, stories from the Talmud, and finish them with a takeaway message of hope or a call to action.
“Maybe I should become a rabbi”, I said to my friends and family. “Of course”, they replied, “we always knew you would.””
With his wife Shoshana, and their two children, Danya and Meital, they are delighted to be living in the community and welcoming people into their homes regularly for Shabbat meals, services and learning.
