Farewell to Rabbi Smookler

At our June Friday Night Fresh, we celebrated Rabbi Smookler’s time with us.  Congregation President Andrew Berger wrote a special tribute, based on the popular Broadway show “Hamilton”.

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“Rabbi Rachel Rubenstein”

(with apologies to Lin-Manuel Miranda)

How does a brown-haired, five-foot, girl from a region
Of the country, where everyone else looks Norwegian,
Develop the self-esteem, not to be too ash-
Amed to tell the world, “Hey look, yo, I’m Jewish!”
 [ ] She doesn’t blend in but it doesn’t defeat her,
 She makes a lot of friends…becomes a cheerleader,
 And goes to Hebrew school, almost every day,
 and she leads the way; man, can this girl pray!
 She goes off to college and dates a few guys
 Some of them are a surprise, keeps ‘em from her parents’ eyes….
 But then she gets together with a fella named Harrison
 [ ] There’s no comparison, so she goes and marries ‘im
 [ ] Now they’re together and they both understand
 That they’ve got a lot planned,
 Spend some time in the Promised Land.
 [ ] Before you know it this gal’s been ordained
 And the world’s gonna know her name
 What’s her name, man?
 {sung}
 Rabbi Rachel Rubensteen [SMOOKLER!]
 Her name is Rabbi Rachel Rubensteen [SMOOKLER!]
 And there’s a million things she hasn’t seen
 But just you wait, just you wait
 Harrison gets an offer from Corning, Inc.,
 He says, “Whaddaya think?” – She says, “I think it’s gonna stink!”
 [ ] Where’s her community? Who’s gonna hire her?
 The next thing you know, she’s the Rabbi in Elmira
 [ ] Everything’s going just fine, when oh, no:
 It’s time to relocate and try to buy a kimono,
 They move abroad and though it isn’t part of the plan,
 Guess what falls into her hand? She’s the Chief Rabbi of Japan!
[out of time] Meanwhile….
 [back in time]
 [ ] At TBD, there’s trouble a-startin’,
 They’re looking for assistance in the rabbi department,
 The congregants know they have to take some action
 To get some satisfaction…so, they turn to Helen Kashtan
 [ ] She asks the board if anyone has a lead
 On someone who could help ‘em in their hour of great need
 A guy says, “Well, there’s my daughter’s friend’s mommy,
 I think she’s back in town, somethin’ ‘bout… a tsunami?”
 [ ] The board members turn and look at him in tandem.
 Helen says, “Andrew, that is totally random!
 This could be really good but you will have to explain
 And at least let us know her name.
 What’s her name, man?”
 {sung}
 “Rabbi Rachel Rubensteen [SMOOKLER!]
 Her name is Rabbi Rachel Rubensteen [SMOOKLER!]
 I think on Purim she could play the Queen
 And she’d be great
 {Trump} Bigly great!”
 So she drops in from the sky just like the Wizard of Oz
 And despite our flaws, she decides to take up the cause.
 She dives into her duties like a fish into water
 The older members practically adopt her as a daughter!
 She visits all the sick, gives ‘em lots of time,
 Tutors b’nai mitzvot ‘til they’re chantin’ fine,
 Organizes volunteering through her program, /giv,
 Shows ‘em how to live, keeps it current, and positive
 [ ] Her sermon’s always inspiring, and critical,
 And on occasion it might get political.
 But just in case the sermon gets too heavy,
 She’s ready with her quotes from the KOTZKER REBBE!
 [ ] She’s at her best when things are lookin’ strangest,
 When our life changes, when the logic rearranges,
 She helps the congregation make a big move,
 Helps ‘em keep their groove, tells ‘em they’ve got a lot to prove
 [..] Now it’s the Smooklers moving…to Carolina
 They’ll all be together, and nothin’ could be finer
 That that, and here’s a thought that we’ve been kickin’ aroun’:
 Girl, if you like it a lot, maybe we’ll ALL MOVE DOWN!
 [extra snap]
 So from us to you, we say this from the heart:
 They can tear you away, but they can’t tear us apart!
 ‘Cause
 We -- all value you
 We -- will all miss you
 We -- will write to you
 We -- will Facebook you
 We [da da da dump] will always have a place for you
 [1 2 3] But now adventures are awaiting you
 and just you wait
 just you wait
 (What’s her name, man?)
 RABBI RACHEL RUBENSTEEN – SMOOKLER!!!!