Congregation B'nai Tzedek Says Goodbye to Its Founding Rabbi

In many faiths, members of the clergy refer to a moment in their lives when they received a divine calling to dedicate their lives to the church. That wasn't necessarily the case for Rabbi Stephen Einstein of in Fountain Valley.

Einstein grew up around the corner from his synagogue as a child, and quickly realized he enjoyed being there. In turn, others quickly realized he was a gifted student of Judaism. By the time he was in high school, he made the decision that he wanted to pursue life as a rabbi. In a way, it was like any other career. It wasn't until much later that Einstein realized maybe he'd had that divine calling after all -- a calling that came in the form of a school friend's message in his yearbook.

"She wrote, 'Steve, God has taken a hold of you, and will not let go.'" he said. "And here I am now 41 years after becoming a rabbi, and the last several years I've started to think maybe she had something. Maybe this wasn't just my good idea."

Einstein has spent 36 of those 41 years at Congregation B'nai Tzedek, and will retire in June as the congregation's founding rabbi, and the only rabbi the congregation has had in its existence. A Southern California native and a graduate of UCLA, he's lived in Fountain Valley since 1977, a year after Congregation B'nai Tzedek was first opened.

Events are planned throughout May and June to celebrate Einstein's tenure as rabbi at Congregation B'nai Tzedek, including a picnic at Mile Square Park where multiple generations of congregation members will be in attendance. His last official service as the congregation's rabbi will be a Bat Mitzvah for a young girl whose parents he married, and whose grandparents are still members of the congregation. It's a fitting farewell, Einstein said, because so many of his fondest memories focus on seeing the congregation's chidren grow up. He's also been forced, he said laughing, to see himself grow old through the pictures that line the halls between his office and the bathroom.

"People will sometimes see these pictures and ask, 'Did you change rabbis?'" Einstein said. "And I'll say, 'No, we didn't change rabbis. But the rabbi changed.' A lot of it is tied up with that, and thinking about all these children who I had some influence on their lives as they were growing up…It's one of the great things about staying in the same place. It's a rarity and a blessing."