West Palm Beach temple now home to first married co-rabbis to lead a Florida synagogue

Let’s say you’re Jewish, your spouse is Catholic and your children reject labels of all kinds. Or you’re gay and not sure whether a synagogue will accept you. Or you’re a seeker, wondering if the religious rituals of your past fit your life today.

Ryan and Carlie Daniels are the new rabbis at Temple Israel in West Palm Beach, and they want to welcome you.

You can even call them “Rabbi Ryan” and “Rabbi Carlie” — first names are easier because they’re married and “welcoming” is their philosophy.

It’s stated up front on Temple Israel’s website: “As a movement, the Union for Reform Judaism, of which Temple Israel is a member, prides itself on welcoming all Jews and the important people in their lives, regardless of their prior Jewish affiliation, their gender or sexual orientation, the faith of their extended family, or any disability. We work hard to be a community mindful of the idea that each and every individual is created in the image of God, and believe that welcoming all Jews and their families strengthens the Jewish people.”

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They are the first married co-rabbis to lead a synagogue in Florida. The fact that Temple Israel turns 100 this year — it is the oldest Reform congregation in Palm Beach County — makes their appointment even more notable.

“In all my years at temple, we never had a rabbi, let alone two, as young as these rabbis are,” said Carole Klein, who began attending Temple Israel in 1957, when she was 7. “I look at them as being so willing to try new things and for us to spread our wings and have new offerings for the community. Our future is bright.”

Ryan Daniels, 35, grew up in Queens, New York, surrounded by a vibrant Jewish community “in a pretty typical Reform family,” he said. His mother grew up Orthodox, and her parents kept kosher. “My dad’s family is Reform, through and through.”

Next door lived a woman who became like a grandmother to him: Kay Jedlin, one of the approximately 10,000 Jewish children saved from the Nazis by the Kindertransport.

Carlie, 36, is a Florida native who was raised in an interfaith home in Rockledge, near Cocoa Beach. There were few Jews around — she was one of three Jewish teens in her high school class — but kindness and understanding were plentiful.

She graduated from the University of Florida as a music major and considered being a cantor, but she realized her own upbringing called her to lead.

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Her Italian-Catholic “Nonna” — Gloria — and her Jewish “Grandma” — Rosalie — are friends, and the love in her family bridged any differences. Carlie grew up with the warmth provided by two faiths.

“My parents raised us with an appreciation of our family as a whole,” Carlie said. Her mother converted to Judaism. But rather than rejecting her choice, the Catholic side of the family shared in her Jewish traditions, as well as in their Christian ones and vice versa.

“The whole family did both,” Carlie said. “We embrace what it means to be a diverse family.”

And that’s the point of what the rabbis want to do at Temple Israel.

“We’ve seen what real acceptance looks like,” Ryan said, “rather than this is mine and this is yours.”

They met during their first year in rabbinical school. They have two daughters, Amalia, 3, and Cora, 7 months, and live in Palm Beach Gardens, close to Carlie’s parents and two sisters, who live in Jupiter.

Exciting opportunity to lead through growth in Palm Beach County

The rabbis served different synagogues in Chicago before coming to Temple Israel in July, lured by the chance to work together and the promise of a growing Jewish community.

A study done by Brandeis University in 2018 found a 21% increase in the Jewish population from Boynton Beach to Martin County, the area served by the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County, from 2005 to 2018. With 167,000 people living in 78,000 Jewish households, the median age decreased from 70 to 60. More young families mean more chances to grow relationships across generations — something both rabbis value.

“A lot of Jews are asking, ‘What’s next in synagogue life? What’s next for us?’” Rabbi Ryan said. “We saw this as a unique opportunity, since Temple Israel is the oldest Jewish community in the county.”

Rabbi Carlie adds: “Many of our congregants come from different backgrounds, and we talk a lot about interfaith families and the many questions they have. Which stream of Judaism do I align with? What if I love someone who is Jewish or I am raising Jewish children? We embrace this. Our diversity is our strength.”

They’re leading Temple Israel into a new century — and into a new home.

The synagogue’s property along the Intracoastal Waterway is so valuable, that the temple’s buildings will be replaced by a high-rise tower that’s part condominium and also part sanctuary, Jewish community center and educational facility, scheduled to be built by 2026.

Challenges will be faced together

They’re also leading Temple Israel through a divided world. The Jewish congregation that started with six families in 1923 now has approximately 250 members. Synagogues, like churches, have found memberships dwindling — even as hate crimes surge.

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The Anti-Defamation League reports that antisemitic incidents rose to record heights in 2022.

“Many Jews can say that they’ve experienced some kind of antisemitic event,” Rabbi Carlie said. “This was true for my parents’ generation, and it was true for our generation growing up — and it’s a real challenge that we have to face as a community. The way we do it is step by step.”

The rabbis plan to meet with each congregant and reach out to community supporters. In a few months, they will take a group of Palm Beach County community leaders on a tour of civil-rights sites in the South — Atlanta, Selma, Montgomery, Birmingham — to learn about our common humanity as Americans.

“The stories of Black slaves are not my story, but there are connections,” Rabbi Ryan said. “Our hope is that the trip will uplift the Jewish value of understanding justice, understanding the stories of us all.”

Kay Jedlin taught him that lesson when he was just a boy: If you have known oppression, you must care when others are oppressed. If you have known pain, you must help others who are in pain.

“That’s the business we’re in,” Rabbi Carlie adds, “to build bridges and connect with people … those in the Jewish community and beyond.”

About Temple Israel

Temple Israel is at 1901 N. Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach. The synagogue offers weekly services, religious instruction for children and adults, member organizations and opportunities for social action. The upcoming schedule of events includes a Yom Kippur break-the-fast meal on Sept. 25 and a 100th anniversary celebration on Nov. 11. For more information, visit www.temple-israel.com or call 561-833-8421.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: New rabbis to lead Temple Israel through multitude of changes