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09/10/2009 12:00 AMIt's been a long journey for Claudio Kogan, much longer than the move that brought him from New Brunswick, New Jersey, where he was associate rabbi and director of education at Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple, to Connecticut. This month, Claudio will be celebrating the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur as the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Tikvah in Madison.
Claudio's journey started in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and led through his medical degree in Argentina as well as rabbinic school in both Argentina and the United States.
In Argentina, Claudio studied medicine in the morning, went to rabbinic school in the afternoons, and served as a student rabbi at night. Claudio says that Marshall Meyer, an American rabbi,who became a prominent religious leader of the Jewish community in Argentina, served as an inspiration in his own decision to
become a rabbi.
Claudio's mother was responsible for his studying English as a young man.
"She told me I needed to learn English for my future. When I got home from school at 4:40, the last thing I wanted was two hours of English lessons. I told her she must be kidding, but she was right," he says.
In the United States, when Claudio speaks Spanish, his distinctive Argentine accent has led to unanticipated confusion.
"Spanish speakers in this country look at me and my wife and they are surprised. They think we must be Americans; Americans think we are Spanish," he says.
Although he's nearly 6,000 miles from Argentina, there are loyalties that Claudio treasures, among them his devotion to the Buenos Aires soccer club, for which he rooted.
"You are born into it," he explains. "The first clothes I bought were of the team."
While Claudio began his rabbinic studies in Argentina, he completed them at he Cincinnati campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He also earned a master's degree in education from Xavier University in Cincinnati.
He feels that religious education is a key component in the functioning of the synagogue.
"It is important to show children how to be Jewish human beings in the 21st century," he says.
And there is something more Claudio wants to say about learning.
"It has to be fun; if there is no fun, there is no learning," he notes.
Claudio sees the relationship between the rabbi and the congregation as one of ongoing cooperation.
"Moses did not cross the Red Sea alone. Human beings need each other. I want to share my vision with the congregation and learn from them at the same time," he says.
In addition to his graduate work in education, Claudio also received a master's degree in medical ethics from the
University of Pennsylvania.
"It was a way of bringing
Judaism to medicine," he
explains.
He combines the two areas in another way: Claudio is mohel, a Jewish man qualified to perform the ritual of circumcision. He studied to become a mohel both in the United States and at Bichur Cholim Hospital in Jerusalem.
Claudio sees a religious dimension to a recent personal accomplishment. Since February of 2008, he has lost 60 pounds. He says that he realized as a doctor that his weight was affecting his health and saw, in shedding the pounds, a Biblical injunction as well.
"Deuteronomy says you will chose life," he points out.
In New Jersey, Claudio not only served his congregation, but also served as a chaplain for the local police and fire departments. In Connecticut, he is once again eager to become a part of the
wider community.
"A rabbi is both and inside and outside job," he explains.
Claudio and his wife Ana Sverdlik and their two young children Milena and Ezequiel have settled in Guilford. It is the first time Claudio, who has always lived in apartments, has owned a house.
"It's a different kind of adventure," he says, recalling the real estate closing, as do many first time homeowners, as a time "with lots of papers to sign."
Ana, a lawyer in Argentina, is now working on a doctoral degree in political science from Rutgers University. The couple met on a blind date in Argentina, but when Claudio came to the United States, the relationship
continued long distance.
"Delta Airlines and AT&T are responsible for the romance," he says. "We planned our whole wedding, the catering, the ceremony, everything, on the Internet."
As he looks toward serving the community at Temple Beth Tikvah, Claudio wants to communicate his own passion for the study and practice of Judaism.
"For me, it is a priority to share enthusiasm," he says. "The synagogue should be an enjoyable place to study, to learn, to laugh, to share happiness, to share life."