REMARKABLE PEOPLE I HAVE KNOWN:
JAI ANGUITA OF BARCELONA
For the last few years, every summer, my wife, Ines, and I went
to Barcelona, Spain, spending from two weeks to a month, in order to help out a
small but slowly growing progressive Jewish congregation called Bet Shalom, led
by a hardworking leader named Jai [i]Anguita,
who is a Jew-by-choice and a lawyer by profession. There are two liberal
congregations in Barcelona: Atid and Bet Shalom. Both are affiliated with the
World Union for Progressive Judaism. Jai was a member of Atid but left in order
to establish Bet Shalom.
Though I am retired from the congregational rabbinate and
worked with a dozen of wonderful synagogue presidents in the past, I have
rarely interacted with someone as charismatic as Jai. He leads Bet Shalom with
his sometimes unorthodox style. Along with his partner, Adele, he identifies
good workers for the temple, trains them, and gives them responsibilities. He
is well connected, extremely focused on his goal and works tirelessly, along
with a group of dedicated individuals, in order to advance the cause of liberal
Judaism in Spain.
In 2008 I discovered online that Bet Shalom was looking for
a Rabbi to spend some time in Barcelona to lead services and coordinate the
final stages of a conversion process to Judaism. I volunteered to help out. Jai
invited me to come in and spend about a month in his beautiful city. The fact
that I could speak Spanish was a great advantage to them. [See my blog posting
on this synagogue, dated April 26, 2010). Since then, Bet Shalom has become
affiliated with the European Union of the World Union for Progressive Judaism
(located in London), moved from a garage-size synagogue to a larger location,
set up a new web page (http://www.betshalom.cat/),
and continues to offer regular Shabbat and festival services (every Friday
night the service is followed by a pot-luck meal) as well as introduction to
Judaism classes ably taught by Jai himself.
It is now looking for a full-time Rabbi to lead this 60-70 family
congregation, with great potential for further growth.
Jai was not satisfied with setting up a synagogue in
Barcelona, but extended his help to other emerging groups in Galicia, Seville,
Madrid and other locations. Jai has become the undisputed leader of the progressive
Jews in Spain today, and deserves to be supported by Jews all over the world.
It has been my pleasure and honor to work with him, and will continue to do so
as long as I can.
Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D.
Boston, Ma
June 12, 2014
