Rabbi Aaron Kriegel served as the leader of Verona’s Congregation Beth Ahm for more than a decade. In October, he performed one last Bat Mitzvah, that of Sara Beinish. Her mother Carol wrote this in tribute to the rabbi and his wife, Morah Sarah Kriegel, who led Beth Ahm’s Hebrew school.
This is Sara’s first and only Bat Mitzvah, but it’s the last of many for Rabbi Kriegel. Rabbi and Morah Sarah have retired from Beth Ahm and will be headed back to their home in LA in just a few short weeks. We will miss them dearly.
To us, they are Beth Ahm. Rabbi Kriegel is the first person we met here, and after only one conversation, we were ready to join. We had yet to actually hear him give a sermon, and once having done so, we congratulated ourselves on making a great choice.
Together, these two make a fantastic duo. A Hebrew teacher that has students wanting to come to class and a Rabbi who can write a sermon that will resonate for people of any faith, or political persuasion. Not a simple thing to do in today’s world.
Our Rabbi has a rich history with Beth Ahm where nearly 80 years ago, his father, Alter Kriegel helped to create Beth Ahm and served as its founding Rabbi until 1974. Rabbi Aaron Kriegel was called upon years later in 2001 to serve as Rabbi until his retirement and Emeritus status last year.
Rabbi Kriegel practices what he preaches. In addition to his rabbinical duties, he has taught an extensive selection of adult education, he has co-officiated a bi-weekly group dialogue between Christian and Jewish faith, he has been a member of the Volunteer Rescue Squad, and he has served on the board at the Verona Library, and has established Beth Ahm as a center for the Dorot University. While a rabbi in LA he was chosen along with a group of 20 chaplains and trained in how to respond in case of terrorist attacks, He was a chaplain in the Lompoc Federal Penitentiary and Metropolitan Detention Center where he was counsel to many prisoners. He also filled the chaplaincy role for the Los Angeles Police Department.
In short, He is the kind of guy you want in your community and we are so sorry to see him go. We wish you both all the best in the coming years.
