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Rabbis of LA: Rabbi Richard Camras Is In It for the Long Haul

Along with educating people, Camras said he feels very strongly about ensuring that young people remain connected to Zionism and the state of Israel.
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November 24, 2021
Rabbi Richard Camras

For 22 years, Rabbi Richard Camras has served as the rabbi of Shomrei Torah Synagogue in West Hills. Throughout that time, he’s experienced simchas with his community, mourned with his congregants when a death occurred and saw them through the latest crisis, the pandemic. And it’s all been worth it.

“To officiate at the b’nai mitzvahs of kids and then officiate their weddings and the simchot of their children is truly a gift,” he said. “At the same time, you form these deep relationships and have to officiate at funerals for people you’ve known for many years, so there is a great deal of sadness as well. But it’s been a blessing because people in this community are good human beings who have treated me with kavod, honor and respect. It’s been very easy to be their rabbi.”  

Camras, a Los Angeles native, was always involved in Jewish life when he was growing up in Westwood, steps away from Sinai Temple. He would volunteer there after school and was involved in the youth programming, so it was his home away from home. His parents, who served on the board and committees, inspired him to get involved.

“They acted as great role models for me and my three siblings,” he said. 

Though Camras enjoyed participating in synagogue, going to United Synagogue Youth meetings and attending and working at Camp Ramah, he didn’t think he was going to become a rabbi.

“I wanted to open up a restaurant, and I was working on doing that after I’d spent a year-and-a-half traveling in Asia after college,” he said. Then, Camras heard a lecture from Rabbi Yitz Greenberg.

“I wanted to open up a restaurant, and I was working on doing that after I’d spent a year-and-a-half traveling in Asia after college,” he said. “I was in negotiations with a kosher restaurant where the owner was looking to get out.” 

However, that fell through. Then, Camras heard a lecture from Rabbi Yitz Greenberg, and it got him thinking differently about his future. He subsequently had lunch with friends from the University of Judaism (now American Jewish University), and was convinced that he should look into becoming ordained. In 1992, he officially became a rabbi through The Jewish Theological Seminary and married wife, Carolyn. 

After serving as a rabbi in Baltimore for seven years, he returned to L.A. and assumed his current role at Shomrei Torah, which is made up of 430 families. He also founded the Conejo/West Valley branch of the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning and lectures on Practical Rabbinics for the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at AJU. 

“My passion has always been in education,” said Camras. “I teach classes in history, Torah and Jewish ethics. What makes Melton so successful is that I am one of many teachers for the school, which is a collaboration of rabbis in the community.”  

Along with educating people, Camras said he feels very strongly about ensuring that young people remain connected to Zionism and the state of Israel. “I am constantly reaching out to high school students and college-aged students,” he said. “I want them to have a meaningfully enriched and nuanced dialogue about Israel and the role of Zionism in their life today.”

Though Shomrei Torah has been thriving throughout the pandemic – Camras said that they were already livestreaming services and events before COVID hit – there have been challenges because of the changing nature of the Jewish world.

“Young people don’t see the synagogue in the same way that their parents and grandparents did. It requires synagogues to be nimble, which they aren’t, and innovative, which they generally aren’t. They are usually understaffed and underfunded, and to innovate and experiment is challenging.”

One thing that he’s done is make sure to meet families’ needs by being flexible on membership dues and supporting them when they seek out help. 

“During COVID, there were a lot of people who lost work and struggled severely,” he said. “Through The Jewish Federation and generous donations from members, we helped people who were in severe financial need.”

Through all of his work, Camras hopes to show people that God is in every place, and it just takes some intentionality and awareness to recognize the presence of God every moment in our lives – just like Jacob did in Chapter 28, verse 16 of the Torah portion Vayeitzei: “And Jacob awakened from his sleep, and he said, “Indeed, the Lord is in this place, and I did not know [it].”

“The ultimate goal I try to accomplish is to help congregants live that verse,” he said. “[I want them to] experience godliness in the lives of the people around them and to use Torah to deepen their relationships with one another, with God and with the world.”

Fast Takes With Richard Camras

Jewish Journal: What do you do when you have a day off?

Richard Camras: I love to read and ride my bike, either in the mountains or on the road, oftentimes in West Hills or out in Malibu or Simi Valley. I can ride anywhere from an hour to four hours depending on the day.

JJ: What’s your favorite Jewish food?

RC: Anything my wife makes.

JJ: What TV show are you binging right now?

RC: My wife and I are watching “30 Rock” and laughing hysterically.

JJ: What’s your favorite spot to go to in L.A.?

RC: We live in a beautiful area in West Hills and there is this gorgeous area called Castle Peak. 

JJ: How do you keep your congregation happy? 

RC: By being authentic and a good listener. 

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