photograph by paige miller
Rabbi Micah Greenstein has been part of the fabric of Temple Israel and Memphis for three decades.
On September 23, 2021, Temple Israel hosted a gathering. The event was to celebrate the 30 years that Senior Rabbi Micah Greenstein has been at the Temple, serving his congregation as well as his city. The evening of tributes was capped by the announcement that Temple Israel’s sanctuary would henceforth be known as The Greenstein Sanctuary to recognize his tenure.
The programming included tributes from friends, family, and colleagues, such as pastor Keith Norman of First Baptist Church Broad: “Rabbi Micah reaches beyond the lines wherever they may be drawn. He’s never afraid to say, ‘Let’s reach across that line to find common ground, let’s find a way to work together.’’’
And the recollections went back a long way. The Temple’s Rabbi Emeritus Harry K. Danziger, who was senior rabbi until Greenstein took on the duties in 2000, said in a recorded message, “When I interviewed you in Cincinnati before your ordination, I wrote down two words: ‘ready’ and ‘yesterday.’ Now we’re celebrating the fact that I was right. You were ready yesterday, you were ready for today, and you turned out to be just the right person for the tomorrow.”
These accolades — and there were many more — are exactly the kinds of things that make Greenstein uncomfortable. He has no problem being outgoing, curious, taking action, and making himself known. But when the topic turns to himself, he demurs. Yet this celebratory event, he says, “was bearable because they surprised me with friends. It wasn’t a love fest about me. It was more about what we built together.”
“No city can offer that gift that I really cherish most about Memphis, which is the people and friends who become family across all racial religious lines.” — Rabbi Micah Greenstein
Greenstein deflects interest directed towards him and his considerable accomplishments by instead shifting to a bigger picture. He delights in talking about the history of the Temple, which was founded in 1854.
cover photograph by brandon dill
Named in 2013 as Memphis magazine’s first Memphian of the Year, Rabbi Micah Greenstein has continued to be a voice not only for Judaism but for all people. In Memphis, he said in the original profile, “I found people who aren’t about theology but about faith in action.”
“I’m a lifelong teacher-student of American Jewish history,” he says. “And I ended up serendipitously in one of the most historic and unique Jewish houses of worship, not only in America but really on the planet.”
He notes that Temple Israel was one of the 22 founding synagogues in the union of American Hebrew congregations. He also points out that there has been a decline in the Jewish population in Memphis and the Mid-South. “There are only 9,000 Jews left,” he says. “I think there were 12,000 or so when I arrived 30 years ago. So the past 21 years as senior rabbi and really all of my 30 years have been about defying overwhelming demographic odds.”
How does he — and his congregation — do that? “High-quality music, worship spirituality, lifelong learning,” he says. “There’s a deeper connection to the future of Memphis and the faith community across all theological and other lines. I think, looking back, that’s how we’ve stemmed the demographic decline by retaining and recruiting both newcomers and natives.”
Greenstein says the last three decades have been about “innovating and creating an allure to perpetuate this legacy of Southern Jewry. There’s still a plethora of Jewish synagogues and institutions in Memphis, but you can’t have Judaism without Jews. And as I said at the event, whither goest Temple Israel goes the future of a vibrant Southern Judaism.”
He enjoys observing the staying power of the rabbis who have led Temple Israel for the last 167 years. “There have been only eight senior rabbis here. The first one lasted only two years and the second served during the Civil War but died in his 30s shoveling snow. But about five of us have served some 150 years.”
Greenstein looks back at what the past rabbis have done. “The mission of the Jew has always been to make the world more human,” he says. “The more Jewish we are, the more human we become.” He mentions Rabbi James Wax, who played a key role in the Memphis Civil Rights Movement, particularly during the Sanitation Workers’ Strike in 1968. “And people forget Rabbi William Fineshriber exactly 50 years before Rabbi Wax. In 1918 he led clergyman to the lynching of Ell Persons and said, ‘Enough — no more.’’’ Greenstein says, “this history is humbling, and why not make sure and do our best to find a way to keep it going for the sake of Memphis and for the sake of Southern Judaism.”
While past rabbis of Temple Israel have set examples and taken courageous stands, Greenstein widens the scope. “People talk about remarkable rabbis,” he says, “but I say, no, this isn’t a comment on the rabbis, it’s a comment on the lay leaders. They’re willing to put up with us.”
Try to point out Greenstein’s achievements and he’ll redirect the inquiry to focus on those lay leaders. “I just feel fortunate to have formed and fostered some remarkable relationships with the presidents of Temple alongside me and the members and people outside the walls of Temple in the community,” he says. “Going back to 1854, I once computed that there were probably about a hundred thousand Jews who have lived, died, been born into, or moved away from Memphis. And of those 100,000, only 52 have had the highest honor of all, which is leading Temple as its president. I’ve known 27 of the 52, and I’ve partnered seamlessly with 11 since 2000. So, the relationships have enabled my family to call Temple our family. And as far as outside Temple, no city can offer that gift that I really cherish most about Memphis, which is the people and friends who become family across all racial religious lines.”
One of Greenstein’s missions, therefore, is to recruit talent to Memphis. “I’m thrilled that we have been able to attract to this small Jewish community Jewish leaders in Temple, rabbis, and educators who really could be in any other city. They want to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people.” And he cites the concept of the late philanthropist/businessman Abe Plough: “It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re from, what you have — you count because we need you.”
Greenstein says his hope and prayer is that Temple Israel and Memphis will continue to go from strength to strength.
“We’ve created a place where every household can find spiritual guidance, a meaningful community of relevant perspective, and be a part of the faith community at large,” he says. “I use the imagery of a Jewish thread on the spiritual tapestry. I really see the Memphis faith community as this rich spiritual tapestry, and there are so many different threads in that. There are gaily colored ones and there are dark ones and they all combine to create a tapestry that’s beautiful. And I see Temple Israel since 1854 as embracing its role as that Jewish thread.”
