By Chloe Wagner
The Beth Israel Jewish Congregation of Sun City Center has welcomed its new full-time rabbi, Adam Ruditsky, and his wife, Catherine, ahead of Rabbi Ruditsky’s first Sabbath service on Friday, July 3.
The Sabbath service will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be held at Beth Israel in the Beth Israel Sanctuary, located at 1115 E. Del Webb Blvd. in Sun City Center. All members of the public are welcome to attend, and refreshments will be served following the service. Beth Israel is associated with the Union for Reform Judaism.
Ruditsky is Beth Israel’s permanent rabbi following the previous interim rabbi, Phil Cohen. Ruditsky will serve as the congregation’s second full-time rabbi.
Ruditsky’s path to rabbi work was unconventional, not entering the field of religious work until he was in his early 40s. He started out as a hospital chaplain, serving those of all faiths, then transitioned into serving those in end-of-life care.
He went to rabbinical school at the Academy of Jewish Religion in Los Angeles, California, in 2020 and became certified by the Neshama Association of Jewish Chaplains. During his early rabbinical years, Ruditsky dedicated his time to working as a rabbi for Jewish homes and care facilities for the elderly.
“I’m very, if you will, comfortable and I understand the older community, from 60 up to geriatric,” Ruditsky said.
Ruditsky has most recently served as a rabbi for a multigenerational synagogue in Plano, Texas. It was in Texas that he found Beth Israel and instantly connected.
“As I began looking for a new community, I wasn’t even aware that synagogues like Beth Israel existed, meaning synagogues and retirement communities,” Ruditsky said. “I was looking at different synagogues when I found Beth Israel. It just was a match.”
Ruditsky said he feels that Beth Israel perfectly matches where he is at with his rabbinical work.
“It was for where I’m at as a rabbi. The importance of congregational work but also the importance of working with the older generation in a Jewish community,” he said.
Ruditsky is excited to begin a new chapter of stability for the synagogue after the loss of Rabbi Carla Freedman, with Rabbi Phillip Cohen becoming the interim rabbi. He is motivated to not only lead but also create a community for all.
“For me, synagogue is just not religious; it’s about building shared community experience,” Ruditsky said. “Given everything that’s going on in the Jewish world in general, I believe having a like-minded community where people can come, Jew or non-Jew; find support and common concerns; and address some of these issues where we are today is very important.”
For more information on services, events and programs, visit https://jcscc.org/.