New Member Profile: Rebekah and Ben Israel

BASICS: What are your names and any nicknames?

Rebekah, Ben, Sawyer, Isla and Henry

We also wholly claim my twin sister, Rachael (Cohen) as our very own.

YOU: Tell us about you and your family.

I (Rebekah) am an attorney at a firm in downtown Minneapolis, and Ben is a mechanical engineer. Sawyer is 11 and loves football and baseball, Isla is 2 and loves buses (the yellow kind) and “puppy” (her ever-present stuffy), and Henry is 9 months and is the light of our family—he’s always smiling! Lastly, Rachael is a tenured Librarian at the University of Indiana, Bloomington in Bloomington, Indiana.

BELONG: What does belonging to a synagogue mean to you?

Community. We’re in the season of life where the phrase “it takes a village” couldn’t possibly be more true. We are excited to be a part of such an amazing community, and strengthen our village! It also serves as a holy foundation in which to grow our roots. Someplace where we finally feel a sense of deep purpose and understanding. 

HERE: Why did you choose Bet Shalom?

After researching synagogues, Rachael and I met with Rabbi Locketz to see if Bet Shalom was the right fit for us, and whether we’d feel supported in our conversion. As all of you know, Rabbi Locketz is one of the most welcoming, supportive, wise (and smart!) people either of us have ever met, and we were instantly convinced we had found our home. Rabbi Locketz, Cantor Havilio, and Rabbi Thal were instrumental in our conversion process and always made us feel a strong sense of belonging - and worked with us to ensure we could complete this process together, even from a distance. With leadership like that, we can only imagine the amazing people who are drawn to this community.