My City December 2022

McCoon began her tenure as the first female Rabbi in Beth Torah’s 60-year history at an ideal time as in-person services resumed a week later with an 80-minute outdoor event, featuring her voice and guitar playing throughout, next to the temple on a serene, northern California evening. Thankful for the closer connection to her congregation, McCoon addressed the change in leadership and offered her unwavering support. “As your Rabbi, I want you to know that I am here along side you as we navigate the ‘new’ together,” she said. “Wheth er you want to talk about what you are going through or just want to feel supported by your community, Temple Beth Torah is here for you and I’m here for you. Let’s experience this new together.” Then, as the sun began setting, McCoon became emotional when presented with her office nameplate. “I’ve never had a nameplate before!,” she exclaimed while holding it. McCoon had a similar reaction a month earlier when Brodzinsky greeted her after her flight landed with “the first sign anybody has ever held for me at an airport!” “Leading services is something I have loved to do forever, which I developed growing up in the Flint area and attending Temple Beth El.” Rabbi Zoe McCoon “That was a really lovely setting and perfect atmosphere for my first in-person service, especially the sunset,”McCoon recalls. “Leading services is something I have loved to do forever, which I developed growing up in the Flint area (at tending Temple Beth El), being so involved with the services and leading portions of them. I felt very comfortable during my first services here and really appreciated the immediate, warm reception of the congregation.” That’s especially true when it comes to the musical portion. McCoon discovered a passion for singing while still a toddler before taking up guitar at age 18. “One of my favorite things about in-person services again is the sing-along because hearing and singing melodies

RABBI ZOE SUCCEEDED EXPERIENCED AND ACCOMPLISHED RABBI AVI SCHULMAN, WHO HAD LED BETH TORAH SINCE 2007.

familiar to them can really bring a congregation together,” she says. “Seeing longtime members engaged in singing along with new faces is really beautiful.” Among those taking in McCoon’s first services was former Beth Torah President Ronnie Petersohn, a member of its Rabbi search committee. “I had watched the videos of Rabbi Zoe singing and her ser mons and was excited to meet her,” he says. “She was enthusias tic and had delivered thoughtful and well-written sermons that we watched. Rabbi Zoe’s strengths are her compassion and the ability to connect with congregants of all ages. She has a beau tiful voice which combined with her guitar skills have brought endless hours of music to a congregation that loves to sing.” Some 17 months later, it’s clear McCoon’s enthusiasm for her new home has only grown. “It’s going pretty well and I’ve only felt stronger about what a wonderful fit it’s been,” she says. “The first year of any position is about finding ways to meld with the partners you have to find a shared vision for the future.Then in year two, it’s finding what that vision looks like and how to implement it. I’ve also spent time seeing what our temple’s role is in the wider Jewish community of this area and making sure we are reaching out to anyone who might feel marginalized in our community.” Describing a typical week for McCoon is impossible because there is no such thing.

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