B’nai Israel’s Rabbi Feldman to retire in June

‘I will continue to be involved in the Petaluma community,’ says Feldman.|

After 17 years with Petaluma’s B’nai Israel Jewish Center, Rabbi Ted Feldman has announced that he will be retiring at the end of June.

In a news release issued on April 8, Feldman noted that while there is joy in this news, there is also sadness, as he will miss “the many deep and ongoing relationships I have had with you over these many years.”

A celebration in Rabbi Feldman’s honor will be announced in coming weeks.

Here is the full text of the news release.

In announcing his retirement from B’nai Israel Jewish Center in Petaluma, California, Rabbi Ted Feldman said, “After 1u7 years as the Rabbi of B’nai Israel Jewish center, and with connections and experiences reaching back into the 1990s, I have decided that it is time for me to enter retirement.”

So it is with profound sadness that Petaluma’s B’nail Israel Jewish Center, California’s oldest congregation north of San Francisco, announces the retirement of our beloved “Rabbi Ted.”

Stuart Nissenbaum, President of the Board of Directors of B’nail Israel Jewish Center, said, “For many of us it’s been an amazing journey with Rabbi Feldman, who has named our children, led their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, supported us in illness and health, and helped us to bury our beloved friends and family. For 17 years he has been our spiritual and communal leader, our mentor, our pastoral counselor, guiding us through many challenging times, always carrying himself with grace and dignity.”

Rabbi Ted Feldman has served as leader of B’nail Israel Jewish Center since 2005. Prior to coming to Petaluma, Rabbi Feldman was the executive director of the Jewish Family and Children’s Services of the East Bay from 1995 to 2005.

He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Roosevelt University in 1968, and his ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1994.

In his announcement to his congregants, Rabbi Feldman explained that while retirement was a time of joy, it also represents a sadness. “The sadness comes in stepping back from the most important part of the rabbinate for me - the many deep and ongoing relationships I have had with you over these many years.”

Rabbi Feldman’s work has left a profound impact on the religious and secular community. Committed to inclusivity, Rabbi Feldman was one of six rabbis to publish “A Place in the Tent,” arguing for the need to find a meaningful place in contemporary Jewish Institutions for intermarried households.

An advocate for diversity and understanding within the interfaith community, Feldman forged ties in Sonoma County with The Islamic Center of Petaluma, Petaluma United Methodist Church, Elim Lutheran Church, St. John’s Episcopal Church of Petaluma, Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma, United church of Christ in Petaluma, St. James Catholic Church and St. Vincent de Paul Church.

Additionally, Feldman founded Petaluma Community Relations Council in 2016, a coalition of nonprofits and secular organizations dedicated to promoting the values of respect, appreciation and understanding of Diversity. PCRC has flourished as a clearinghouse for community engagement on issues as varied as homelessness, drug addiction and race relations in local schools, to expanding access to public parks.

Of “Talking with Rabbi Ted,” Feldman’s local radio show, Nissenbaum said, “Rabbi Feldman has a great sense of humor, and always has. The program is a little like a Jewish ‘On the Road with Charlie Osgood,’ featuring community great, both known and unknown, but mostly unknown. That’s the beauty of it. He is curious, always learning, teaching and laughing.”

In his retirement announcement Feldman explained, “Please know that I will continue to be involved in the Petaluma community and in helping to ensure that the Jewish population of our city will be standing with other citizens to strive for our mutual benefit.”

B’nai Israel Jewish center, and Rabbi Feldman’s many friends, will honor him at a retirement dinner in June.“

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