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 As
a child and younger man, Joshua Chasan understood Judaism
as a call to mend the larger world. Raised in a home in which
Jewish cultural identity was taken very seriously, while Jewish
religious thought and practice were viewed as old world illusions,
Joshua discovered traditional Judaism after studying 19th
century American Christianity for a doctoral dissertation.
After working as a typesetter and then director of a social
service organization serving older people, he continued his
studies at The Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, where
he was ordained in 1987.
After serving four years as rabbi of Congregation Shomrei
Emunah in Montclair, New Jersey, Joshua andhis family settled
in Vermont in 1991, from which time he has served as rabbi
of Ohavi Zedek Synagogue. He arrived at OZ during a time of
transition, when the synagogue's membership was growing to
include a large number of "immigrants" to the Green
Mountains. Over the past decade, he has endeavored to create
a synagogue environment that is respectful of the rich heritage
of more than a century of Burlington Jewry, while helping
to integrate newer arrivals who have a wide range of cultural
and religious backgrounds.
Known
for both his social activism and his conviction that Judaism
is a spiritual path very much for our times, Joshua often
can be found at Ohavi Zedek's evening minyan (7 pm, Sunday
through Thursday), sharing in the communal spiritual practice
that he understands to be the heart of Jewish peoplehood.
Having come to religious Judaism as an adult, he delights
in introducing others to the everyday spirituality of Judaism.
Joshua
and Kathy Comstock Chasan were married in 1982. They are the
parents of Zev and Ari, and Joshua's son Cavan lives in Burlington
as well. What he loves most about Vermont is the accessibility
of the water and the woods, particularly the Intervale in
Burlington.
What
he loves most about Ohavi Zedek is the synagogue's potential
to model a Jewish way of living that is both traditional and
unequivocably inclusive of all people. "We need everybody
here," he says. "The world truly is smaller, and
it's a wonderful time for Judaism, grounded as it is in the
historic culture of our people, to embrace a universal vision
that really can be fulfilled."
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