Community Corner
Portraits of Faith: Rabbi Reuben Landman
Reuben Landman, rabbi at Har Tzeon-Agudath Achim Congregation, recently spoke with Patch about youth and senior programs offered at his synagogue.
Wheaton's diversity is well-known, but that diversity also extends to the faith communities that worship in the area. Here's a chance to meet the people who lead the churches, synagogues and temples that make up Wheaton.
Rabbi Reuben Landman leads , a conservative congregation on University Boulevard.
Patch: How do you describe your congregation?
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Rabbi Landman: It’s a varied kind of a group. We serve the local community—Wheaton, Silver Spring—but many of our members come from Rockville, Olney, Kemp Mill, D.C., and Potomac. It’s a community synagogue that serves many different groups from various locations. All ages are served, children through seniors. We have a religious school and pre-school. We also have a large senior population; of course, Montgomery County has a large senior population in general.
Patch: How do you reach out to your congregation?
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RL: Voice mail, a monthly bulletin, printed weekly announcements, and weekly oral announcements during services. We have a regular Thursday senior luncheon program with exercise and classes. We partner up with the Jewish Community Center and Montgomery County. We also house a day school and will be having a Jewish Montessori Elementary School starting in mid-August/September.
Patch: How did you become a rabbi?
RL: After college and graduate school, I was accepted into a rabbinical program. I spent one year in Israel, then after a three- year post-doctorate program, I was ordained as a rabbi. It took me five years. While I was in college, I was toying with the idea of going to law school or becoming a rabbi. I began to discover my Judaism more deeply and I wanted to share that.
Patch: What do you think the place of religion should be in wider society?
RL: I think religion has a role in providing some direction in terms of values - offering in a democratic system, offering another set of Jewish values, throwing that into the melting pot for possible choices of how we can make this a better world and a better country.
Patch: Where is your favorite place to be in Wheaton?
RL: My favorite place is my home study. It gives me some time to think alone and have quiet study time. Judaism is very intense in terms of Jewish study. There’s no way of completing all of the studying available, so we do the best we can.
