Union Chapel in the Grove welcomes Rabbi Dan Geffen of Temple Adas Israel for a sermon entitled “Honoring Sacred Time: Celebration and Commemoration in the Jewish Tradition.”
All are welcome to attend the interdenominational service on Sunday, August 21 at 10:30 AM. Guest musicians are Trustee Chris Herman on cello and Jed Feldman on flute.
Since Union Chapel is celebrating its 150th anniversary this summer, Rabbi Dan incorporates the idea of celebrations in his sermon.
“We are very good at doing the act — celebrating — but less frequently, we stop to actually consider why it’s important to do so,” he said. “One of the things I appreciate most about Judaism specifically, and communities in general, is that we consciously make space in our lives, not to just mark the passage of time, but to make the passage of time a sacred occasion worthy of celebration.”
About Rabbi Dan Geffen
Serving as rabbi of Temple Adas Israel since 2019, Geffen was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York in May 2014, where he earned masters degrees in Hebrew Literature and Jewish Education. Born and raised in New York City, he attended the AJ Heschel School and the Fieldston School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in History at the University of Wisconsin.
Before assuming his position at Temple Adas Israel, he served as the Rabbinic Intern for Woodlands Community Temple in White Plains and Jewish Home Lifecare of Manhattan. He lives in Sag Harbor with his wife, Lu (who is Temple Adas Israel Director of Community Engagement) and their children, Eva and Emet.
Geffen has preached at the Chapel several times and said he is especially grateful to be a part of its sesquicentennial.
“We consider the past, offer our gratitude in the present, and turn our eyes to the future and another 150 years of the goodness and graciousness that emanates from this remarkable community,” he said.
“To be a part of the Union Chapel’s 150th year, to me, is a very sacred and very treasured opportunity. I am deeply honored and touched to join my friend, Jay Sterling, and so many of the lovely people I have met over the last several summers.”
Union Chapel service
Chris Herman joined the Union Chapel board of trustees in 2020. He and his wife, Christina, live in Washington, DC and have a home in the Heights. His family has summered on Shelter Island since the 1960s.
STARs Café caters an outdoor reception following the service. Please note that our commemorative book, “All Are Welcome:150 years of Shelter Island’s Union Chapel in the Grove,” by Carrie Cooperider, is available after the service or anytime at Finley’s Fiction.
Next week: Sylvester Manor Sunday with The Rev. Galen Guengerich of All Souls Unitarian Church in Manhattan.
JoAnn Kirkland assists the trustees of Union Chapel in the Grove. To learn more, visit the nonprofit organization’s website, unionchapelinthegrove.org.
