Rabbi Anat Moskowitz, a member of the Anti-Defamation League Mountain States Board of Directors and the spiritual leader of Congregation B’nai Torah in Westminster, Colorado, discusses how her fascinating background and varied interests have led her to embrace ADL’s mission and message.

 

How did you first become involved in ADL? How are you involved now?

I became involved with ADL when I was a child. It seemed a natural thing to connect with, particularly since we lived in Anaheim, California, the center of John Birch Society. We were addressing issues of being an immigrant family, Jewish and not really “white.”  The seeking of justice for everyone was a family adventure.

What do you do in your professional life?

I’m a rabbi who serves Congregation B’nai Torah in Westminster.  I’m also working to bring a Jewish response to addictions and recovery to Colorado.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I initially wanted to be a rabbi when I was 5, but it was 1967 and that was not an option, so I thought I’d grow up to be a rabbi’s wife.  I used to hold services in the backyard and made the neighborhood kids (who weren’t Jewish, by the way) give thanks to God for all the gifts of nature, toys and food!

Where were you born? From where do your ancestors hail?

I was born in Rechovot, Israel. My family lived in Maskeret Batya, a moshava outside of Rechovot. Most of my Mom’s family, who emigrated from Libya to Israel in the 1930s, still lives there. My father was born in Brooklyn and was raised in Milwaukee, fought in WWII and then, as part of the Shomeret HaTzaeer youth movement, moved to Israel where he was a founder of Kibbutz Sasa.  My parents met in Rechovot and came to the US to visit family and show off their daughter in 1964.  My dad’s family convinced us to stay here.

What’s your favorite holiday?

Shavuot. I feel rejuvenated at the idea of being given Torah anew every year. Shavuot propels me to social action and to think about repairing the world and fulfilling God’s purpose for me. And I love cheesecake.

What’s your favorite food?

Dark Chocolate and Sushi.

What are you reading?

I’m reading the novel After You by Jojo Moyes. One of the ideas it focuses on is death with dignity. As a rabbi, that subject comes up a lot for me and it’s a challenging one, but I find that when something pushes my buttons it motivates me to go out and study it and to become more active in repairing the world.

What’s a special place you have visited?

One of the most interesting visits has been a private clergy tour of an unconsecrated Mormon Temple in Oquirrh (pronounced “Okra”), Utah. I felt like I was visiting the Temple in Jerusalem before the destruction. It was so beautiful and detailed and amazing. The ritual aspects were very different and challenging for me to process, but they also forced me to see another religion through someone else’s perspective which was very eye-opening and powerful.

What’s one thing every person should know or experience?

Sitting eye to eye, face to face, with someone who is very broken, someone who feels unworthy, and you are sitting with them just being with them, bringing some dignity to their space.

What teacher or class stands out to you the most in your education and why?

Mr. Marino, my high school band director, treated us like people, not just ‘kids’. He had a respect for our opinion and spoke the truth to us, face to face.  He has modeled a lot of who I am as a teacher.

What are you passionate about personally? What can’t you stop talking about?

Grandbabies, the views in Colorado, and how blessed we are to not be refugees. We were just in Turkey and everywhere in the country the people were focused on helping the refugees find work, bringing them food and helping them with their basic needs. It’s not something they’re talking about politically; they’re just doing it. I’m tired of placing blame. I just want to find a way to help.

Where can we find you when you’re not working?

Reading, playing my harp, working out at Pure Barre, hanging out with my husband Jeff, playing with our grandbabies, meditating, and staring at the mountains!

What would be impossible for you to give up?

Passion. Specifically, the passion to leave the world a better place than I found it.

If you had to teach something, what would you teach?

Finding your passion!

Tell me a story that immediately pops into your mind that was a defining or significant moment for you.

Since I was not a mother, I was completely redefined when I married Jeff and his daughter’s son, who was then 18 months old, first called me Bubbie!  Being Bubbie has completely redefined how I view the world, how I work in the world and makes my heart full.

Why do you choose to make a financial investment in ADL?

I have always invested financially in ADL, since the first $5 I sent in as a child to the money designated in my will.  I take the commandment to pursue justice very seriously and I love that the ADL figures out a lot of how to do that for me.

Complete this sentence: For me, ADL is …a brilliant league of compassionate, well informed, proactive people who are willing to do the work to bring justice to the world.