Rabbi David Holtz of Temple Beth Abraham in Tarrytown is retiring after 33 years of leading the congregation. He will leave behind a decorated legacy filled with community, connection, and service.
After spending six years in Baltimore as an assistant rabbi, Holtz decided it was time to lead his own congregation. He chose Temple Beth Abraham. Part of the appeal was the temple’s geographic location: It was nearby both Long Island and Delaware, where Holtz’s and his wife’s families lived, respectively. Being on the East Coast just made sense. In terms of the congregation itself, Holtz felt that he was accepted not just as a clergy member, but as a traditional reform Jew and as a member of the synagogue.
When Holtz arrived at TBA, he noticed something big: The building was not accessible to some congregants with disabilities. The bimah had no ramp, and it was so high that those in wheelchairs were unable to reach it. The bathroom doors were so narrow that they were inaccessible to wheelchair users.
Holtz was relieved when he realized that the congregation shared his same determination to make the temple accessible. Under his leadership, the temple was able to secure the donations and funding necessary to make the bimah accessible, add an elevator, and create a switch to lower the Torah. TBA is currently raising money to remodel the conservative chapel, and once finished, the whole building will be accessible. Holtz said that it was the “biggest thing [he] focused on besides the community and the people.”
The congregation is not large— with only around 400 members— but Holtz appreciates the small numbers. In his eyes, the smaller size of the congregation allows him to form deeper connections with each member of the synagogue. He feels “blessed” knowing that he is able to make a difference in people’s lives; whether it be guiding them through sadness, or celebration.
Temple Beth Abraham President Brian Schneider said, “As both a congregant and now the president of this congregation, I’ve seen firsthand how deeply Rabbi Holtz has touched the lives of the families here.”
The small community also allows Holtz to extend his connection to figures outside the congregation, including the mayor of Tarrytown and the chief of police. The connections make him feel as though he can have a large impact outside of just the Jewish community. If he was in a large city, like Manhattan, Holtz believes he wouldn’t have these relationships and resources.
Outside of the TBA community, Holtz is involved in a number of service organizations including the Rivertowns Clergy Association, Tarrytown Rotary Club, and the Westchester Board of Rabbis. In each of these organizations, he works to further their reach and impact.
The Rivertowns Clergy Association is a collection of clergy from all different religions. Holtz noted that it was important for him to build bridges with non-Jewish clergy, and he participated at the Martin Luther King Jr. service at Foster Memorial Church. After the October 7th terrorist attacks on Israel, members of all faiths called and emailed him to offer their support.
The Tarrytown Rotary club invests in projects to fix not only the Rivertowns community, but the world as a whole. It gave new furniture and air conditioning to a tiny school in Ecuador. It helped the Rotary club in northern Israel with a program where Jewish and Arab girls created art together, learning to be peacemakers. Locally, the Rotary donated a scoreboard to Sleepy Hollow High School.
Holtz said that these projects nourished him, gave him new friends, and overall helped make the community a better place.
“Rabbi David has been an important part of my TBA life,” said Kira Gleit, a longtime TBA member. “He did my baby naming, bat mitzvah, and confirmation, and I am now working side-by-side with him as the director of education and youth engagement’s assistant. Rabbi David has not only made an impact on my life, but on every student at TBA.”
During retirement, Holtz plans to woodwork (he built an 8-foot dreidel for the Irvington rec center), travel to Europe and Antarctica, and maybe even hop in a theater production.
His official retirement is June 30, but he plans to sub occasionally in order to not lose touch with the congregation.
David Z. Vaisberg has been appointed as the synagogue’s next rabbi beginning July 1. See our article on Rabbi Vaisberg HERE.
