Rabbi Micah Weiss gets help from a soferet in writing a portion of Beth Am Israel’s new Torah scroll. (Photo by Gayanne Geurin)

On July 21, Rabbi Micah Weiss joined Congregation Beth Am Israel as its executive director. It’s probably accurate to say he joined because, to Weiss, the Penn Valley synagogue is not just a job.

It’s a spiritual home for his young family, which includes his wife and their three young children, twin six-year-olds and a six-month old. The Weisses are also the exact type of family that the executive director will be trying to attract.

That’s why Beth Am Israel hired him, among his many other good qualities, according to Judy Wortman, the synagogue’s president.

“He’s young and has a young family,” Wortman said of the 38-year-old Weiss. “He’s so engaging. You just can’t help but enjoy being with him. He’s funny. People just respond so well to him.”

And they are already doing so, according to Wortman. Three young families have joined the 340-member congregation in the months since Weiss’ hiring. That will also be a point of emphasis in the months to come. The Conservative synagogue has made its Shabbat morning lunch bigger and better at the suggestion of Weiss.

“He’s like, ‘Let’s make this lunch really elaborate. Have people meeting and getting to know each other and having a yummy lunch,’” said Wortman.

The synagogue is also planning a program called A Taste of Shoroshim, at which prospective families can have their children try out Beth Am Israel’s religious school for a day. There will be three such days before the end of the year, one per month.

As Wortman explains, Beth Am Israel, like many congregations today, is “on the older side.” At the same time, the synagogue does have young families upon which to build. About 20% of its members fall into that category.

Weiss, for his part, sees the synagogue as a place for families like his own. Before he was hired, the West Philadelphia resident said he told himself that if his kids were having b’nai mitzvahs tomorrow, they would do them at Beth Am Israel.

The rabbi was also searching for a job at the time, and one day, he got an email from JewishJobs.com listing the position at the Penn Valley synagogue. It was “bashert,” said Weiss.

He applied, was asked to come in for a visit and then felt, as a synagogue leader might put it, warm and welcomed.

“The first time we came for a Shabbat service, the rabbi [David Ackerman] just sat down with our kids and talked to them for like 20 minutes. He just had a conversation with two rambunctious five-year-olds. That meant a lot to us,” Weiss recalled.

In terms of a job, the 2019 graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College also found what he was looking for: A role that would allow him to focus on the joys of synagogue life. In his previous position as a consultant for congregations, he would sit on Zoom calls all day long and focus on their problems.

“I was missing being closer to the joys; the day-in, day-out rhythms and lifecycles of being in one Jewish community,” Weiss said.

He still has to focus on problems. That’s part of the role of executive director, and Weiss describes his door as “always open.” But he also, as he explains it, gets to see kids come in for their bar and bat mitzvahs and engaged couples come in for their weddings.

“That really fills me up and sustains me,” Weiss said.

The rabbi is often asked why he doesn’t take on a traditional rabbinical role. His answer is that he’s a spiritual leader who prefers to focus on the organizational side of Jewish communities. It’s budgets, membership numbers and capital improvement projects that get Weiss going.

This coming year, he hopes to “have a smooth budget process,” bring in new members and begin to focus on certain capital projects. With Wortman and the congregants, he’s also excited to honor the synagogue’s 100th anniversary in 2026. Beth Am Israel has begun work on a new Torah scroll to mark the anniversary.

The full celebration will take place in October of next year.

“It’s going to be great,” Weiss said.