Learning to imitate Paul

Paul Reichenbach died this week. Disease comes suddenly and steals people unfairly from their loved ones and admiring friends.

I love Paul! He served full-time in Jewish youth engagement and camping work for 4 and 1/2 decades. I’ve known him for every one of those years and more. He and I were in touch just before the summer. I got my last big hug from him last fall at an event in DC. His work helped me know how to hold the work of mentoring young people at the center of my entire career.

My first time I met Paul was in 1981. I was 11 and my Aunt Judy and I came to his Warwick NY office to sign out my brother Bruce for a day out of the Union for Reform Judaism Kutz Camp. Every moment of that first meeting is indelible in my memory.

I am known for many positive contributions to the Reform Jewish movement. But I may be known most as the person who does the best voice imitation of PJR’s incredible public presence. Several times Paul sent me to the airport to prep groups leaving for Israel on his behalf. I’d sprinkle in bits of imitation of his distinguished voice. He drilled into hundreds of us every rule for behavior on camp’s trip days in NYC, every detail, including memorizing the phone numbers for each of the phone booths at camp. (Many still remember the numbers though camp closed in 2019 and phone booths are nonexistent.)

One year on faculty at camp, I introduced a prayer in tribute to Paul and one of his mentors, demonstrating what the Israelite Exodus from Egypt would sound like if instructions were given to the Israelites by Rabbi Allan Smith (Smitty) and Paul Reichenbach (PJR).

In light of his death on Rosh Hashanah, I want to say three things:

First, my heart & sympathies are with his family, most especially his son Dolph, daughters Joey, and Sara Reichenbach. May the days ahead be gentle on you. For Dolph, Joey and Sara and Paul’s grandchildren, you should know he kvelled about each of you.

Second, any imitation I do of Paul is only me imitating Rabbi Leon Morris imitating Paul.

Third, his work in camping, Israel trips and NFTY impacted generations including young people he never met. But for those like me who’ve admired him forever, and for his closest friends, partners to him in championing youth engagement, such as Loui Dobin, Rabbi Daniel Freelander, and so many others who witnessed his huge appetite for friendship and life in its best light, we will all be at our best when simply imitating Paul J. Reichenbach.

In his memory, keep kids safe and healthy, invest in their souls, and help them discover paths to make the world more just, to strengthen Israel 🇮🇱 by seeing it with their own eyes, meeting Israelis personally and coming to their own conclusions, and be sure we: keep our cabins clean by proper ‘Smitty-mopping’ to earn a Frank’s pizza party for our cabin, how to stay safe on trip day, and be sure that if there is even the smallest of chances that one’s family, clergy and communities could partner with URJ to make a session at camp or a life changing immersive experience in Israel possible, we seize the moment.