Conejo Valley temple welcomes new rabbi




HOME AGAIN—Rabbi Ari Averbach is the new senior rabbi at Temple Etz Chaim. He took charge of the Thousand Oaks temple over the summer. Averbach, shown Aug. 5 at the temple, is a native of Agoura Hills. JOSEPH A. GARCIA/Acorn Newspapers

HOME AGAIN—Rabbi Ari Averbach is the new senior rabbi at Temple Etz Chaim. He took charge of the Thousand Oaks temple over the summer. Averbach, shown Aug. 5 at the temple, is a native of Agoura Hills. JOSEPH A. GARCIA/Acorn Newspapers

For Rabbi Ari Averbach, his new role as senior rabbi at Temple Etz Chaim in Thousand Oaks isn’t just a job. It’s a homecoming.

The Agoura High School graduate spent the last four years working at a temple in the Chicago area. The former Charger said he feels incredibly fortunate to have been hired by a synagogue in the community where he grew up. He said he appreciates the opportunity to share the beauty of Judaism as well as the warm spirit of the congregation—and the fact that his office is now within walking distance of Little Calf Creamery.

“This feels like home,” the 36-year-old said. “If I won the lottery tomorrow, I’d keep doing the same thing.”

Averbach took over for Rabbi Richard Spiegel, who retired in July after 19 years at TEC. Spiegel now serves as rabbi emeritus at the temple on Janss Road. Still involved with the congregation, he is teaching classes and preparing to lead a group travel tour to Jewish Morocco.

The two rabbis worked together closely in the months leading up to Spiegel’s retirement, and Averbach said the transition has been a healthy one. He said his goal as the temple’s leader is to maintain what is already great about TEC and build upon it for the future.

He said he hopes that the energy found in the youth education programs will spread to the older generations.

“I want people to fall in love with and be excited by Judaism,” he said.

Averbach said his journey to becoming a rabbi was “not traditional.” Averbach earned a degree from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts before working in the film industry. But as much as he loved working with filmmakers, he didn’t feel like he was on the right path for his life.

“Most days, I didn’t love what I was doing,” he said.

He began working for Jewish World Watch, a nonprofit organization that fights genocide, and he attended rabbinical school at American Jewish University in Los Angeles before taking a job at Congregation Beth Shalom outside Chicago.

Averbach said he loves reading about and studying Judaism because the wisdom of thousands of years of history is inexhaustible.

“Our tradition is endless. You can never know everything,” he said.

An avid reader, Averbach loves the works of humorist David Sedaris. Books including Thomas More’s 16th century socio-political satire “Utopia” adorn his office. He also loves podcasts like “The Moth” and “This American Life,” he said, because listening to people tell stories makes him a better storyteller, speaker and listener.

He has three young children: 5-year-old Paige, 2-year-old Shai and 4-month-old Isaiah. His wife, Vanessa, teaches English at Granada Hills Charter High School.

Gideon Manzur is TEC executive director. He said Averbach’s leadership represents the next generation at TEC, and the young rabbi and his family are putting down roots “into the ground here.” He said he can see Averbach spending 20 years at TEC.

Manzur said he hopes TEC can increase its involvement in the wider community under Averbach’s leadership.

“Ari and I don’t see this as being a home for just the Jewish people but a place where the community can come for activities and events that enrich their lives,” he said.

Susan Kane said she and her fellow TEC members hope that Averbach’s fresh ideas and engaging personality will help to build on the synagogue’s 53-year history of providing a spiritual home and supportive community for a growing body of believers.

“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Rabbi Averbach and his family to our community and back home to the Conejo Valley,” she said in an email. “Since his arrival on July 1, Rabbi Averbach’s enthusiasm and energy have been contagious and boundless.”

Averbach said his favorite part of being a rabbi is walking alongside families as they celebrate engagements, weddings and births and as they mourn deaths.

“In people’s most difficult and beautiful moments, I’m one of their first calls,” he said. “I feel so lucky to be here.”

TEC will celebrate Averbach’s installation the weekend of Aug. 23. Visit templeetzchaim.org.