Why wait till tashlich to celebrate your Judaism at the beach? On Dec. 16, Pacific Jewish Center (PJC) will commemorate its recently wrapped renovations with a rousing Chanukah party.
To say that “The Shul on the Beach” — literally located on Venice’s boardwalk — is enmeshed in the fabric of Venetian society is to state the obvious. After all, PJC will sometimes hold Havdalah and kiddush on the beach, where panhandling musicians greet congregants with a “Shabbat Shalom.” And when PJC, a lively Orthodox synagogue, needs people to shlep furniture, they can often count on the residents at the Phoenix House residential treatment center next door to lend a helping hand.
“Let’s put it this way,” said PJC Associate Rabbi Avi Pogrow. “There’s no shortage of musclemen around.”
As it turns out, Pogrow himself is something of a muscleman. Since arriving at the PJC in late 1996, Pogrow decided to go with the flow and build his biceps, triceps and abs.
“As Jews, it’s important for us to be fit spiritually, mentally and physically,” Pogrow said.
Anyone who regularly accepts invitations for Shabbat meals knows that physical fitness is easier said than done. That’s why, when the young, sandy-haired rabbi isn’t grappling with weighty Talmudic studies, he grabs his weights. Under the guidance of personal trainer Moses Rose — an ex-Marine and former Washington Redskin who goes by the moniker “The Rugged Man” — Pogrow pumps iron and carries out a daily regimen that consists of sit-ups, push-ups (1,000 each) and “sand dancing.”
Pogrow, 29 and single, grew up in ultra-Orthodox Monsey, N.Y., and attended yeshivas in Brooklyn and Jerusalem. He heard good things about PJC from his older brother, Rabbi Meir Pogrow, who was a visiting rabbi there.
In 1997, at the rabbinically tender age of 26, Avi Pogrow assumed the associate rabbi post at PJC. He was asked by Senior Rabbi Daniel Lapin to help revitalize programs, outreach and services at the 23-year-old congregation, which serves members living in Venice and the surrounding Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica and Marina del Rey neighborhoods.
Pogrow’s installation is no accident. Lapin has made a conscious effort to attract young marrieds and singles to his shul. In addition to hiring Pogrow, Lapin still holds a weekly shiur every Monday night at the Doubletree Hotel in Santa Monica.
“We’ve taken what could be construed as a boring service, and re-energized the shul with spirited singing of [Shlomo] Carlebach tunes,” said Pogrow, who has seen an influx of young professionals and East Coast couples with Ivy League diplomas at his services in the last few years.
Pogrow’s proud of the haimish atmosphere he’s helped cultivate at PJC.
“We mix authentic Judaism with California innovation and East Coast authenticity,” Pogrow told The Journal over a low-carb Beverlywood-area breakfast. “But there’s a lot of East-Coast flavor. I’m still trying to get the carbs out of the kiddush.”
Annual Pacific Jewish Center Chanukah party takes place on Sun., Dec. 16, at 7 p.m. at Pacific Jewish Center, 505 Ocean Front Walk, Venice. Live music by the Simcha Orchestra. Tickets: $18. To RSVP, call Rabbi Avi Pogrow at (310) 581-1081 or e-mail RPogrow@PJCenter.com. For more information, visit www.pjcenter.com.
