Courtesy photo
Rabbi Mark Glickman

If you knew Rabbi Mark Glickman’s background, you’d be surprised that he ever became a rabbi.

Raised in suburban Chicago, Glickman was not what you’d call a serious student or an academic as a young boy. In fact, he was expelled from the third grade for repeatedly punching teachers and getting into fights with other kids.

During this rather volatile period in his life, he began spending more time at his temple. “My uncle was the rabbi there,” explains Glickman, “and he took me under his wing. He was a role model for me. The temple became a place where I could shine and feel good about myself.”

After a period of time spent in and out of special education classes, Glickman returned to the mainstream system and eventually began turning his life around. He studied Hebrew in high school, was president of his temple youth group and went on to major in Jewish studies in college.

Becoming a rabbi for Glickman seemed to be a natural evolution of his activities.

He adds, “I also like to think that God had something to do with it, something to do with my choosing this pathway.”

Glickman, a diagnosed stutterer from early on, also believes that his stuttering impelled him to be a rabbi. “Being a rabbi,” he explains, “involves being in a position where you are forced to get it - your message - out in words. I really think that my stuttering played a definite part in my decision, consciously or subconsciously.”

After graduating cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis, Glickman went on to receive his Rabbinical Ordination from Hebrew Union College and soon became the Assistant Rabbi of Temple Israel in Dayton, Ohio. In 1997, he moved out to Washington, where he became Rabbi of Temple Beth El in Tacoma, a post he held for seven years. He has been the Rabbi of Congregation Kol Shalom on Bainbridge Island since 2004 and recently, he also took on a similar position with Congregation Kol Ami in Woodinville.

“I’m basically serving as the spiritual leader for both these congregations in a shared plan,” explains Glickman. “Both are small congregations and I divide my time between the two places. It’s a bit of a juggling act, with some fine-tuned division of labors. But I really jumped at the chance to work with Kol Ami because my family and I have been members there for several years and I know everyone. Plus, it’s right here in the community where I live.”

Stephanie Shernicoff, president of Congregation Kol Ami, is very excited that Rabbi Glickman decided to become the temple’s spiritual leader. She feels he is a perfect fit for the congregation: “He was part of our community already and knows our community. Plus our community loves him. He has an incredible passion and knowledge base, in addition to being a great role model as a parent and as a member within the community at large. Mark is genuine, warm and compassionate, as well as down-to-earth.” Shernicoff describes Glickman’s style as hands-on. She adds that he is traditional, but very open and welcoming to new ideas and views. “I hope that he can help make Kol Ami the Jewish address in Woodinville and raise awareness of the Jewish community in Woodinville,” she says.

Congregation Kol Ami’s roots date back to 1980 when a small group of families began meeting in their homes to practice Reconstructionist Judaism and called themselves the Northshore Jewish Community. Over the years, the group changed names, but eventually formed as Kol Ami and associated themselves with the Reform Judaism movement. Today the congregation has over 100 families and holds its services and religious education classes at Bear Creek United Methodist Church.

“I joined Kol Ami because I was drawn to its warmth and intimacy,” comments Rabbi Glickman. “Although I was the spiritual leader over at Kol Shalom on Bainbridge, I needed and wanted to be a part of a congregation in my own community. As the rabbi now of Kol Ami, my goal is to help the congregation put itself on the map in the Jewish and general communities of our area. I see this as a great opportunity for me to work in this direction.”

Along with this goal, Glickman also adds the challenges of growth. He says, “Kol Ami is in a position to take off and really thrive because it’s the only synagogue between Bellevue and Everett. The fear is that growth in the size of the congregation will result in loss of intimacy, so the challenge is to grow, but to hold on tight to the core values of the congregation – to thrive and remain a welcoming, personal community.”

Glickman emphasizes that his main responsibility in the role of rabbi is to teach the Torah, but also adds that this is not always accomplished in the classroom or in the synagogue, but also in the way he conducts himself as a human being and how well he embodies the teachings of the Torah in his everyday life.

As a rabbi, Glickman wears many hats. In addition to being a spiritual leader and teacher, he is a counselor, advisor, advocate, writer, speaker and community relations specialist among others. He is a regular religion columnist for the Seattle Times and he also serves on the faculties of Pacific Lutheran University and Seattle University. “I have lots of plates to keep spinning,” he admits. “And it’s definitely hard trying to be everything to everyone and also being present to my family and to myself. I strive to do right by my family, my congregation and my community. But sometimes doing right is different than making these groups happy and I’ve had to learn that the hard way over the years.”

Glickman feels that the time he spent in Tacoma were years of enormous growth for him. He went into a congregation that was grieving over losing their rabbi after 41 years.

In addition, during his tenure, there were a series of high profile attacks on the temple, including vandalism, arson and gun shots fired into the synagogue.

It was later learned that the gun shots were fired by infamous sniper John Allen Muhammad.

“Dealing with all of these problems and conflicts, both internal and external, gave me centeredness and clarity of purpose and vision,” says Glickman. “I feel if I was able to handle all of those things, I’m certainly better prepared at dealing with whatever comes my way now, though, the recent shootings at the Jewish Federation office in Seattle, are certainly a test for any spiritual leader at this time.”

Glickman heard of the incident several days after it occurred, as he was on a backpacking trip in the mountains and out of contact with civilization. When he learned what happened, he was shocked and terribly saddened.

“It’s horrible and so devastating,” he comments. “It’s times like this when we need each other to remind ourselves of our strength and the continued importance of what we do. We can’t allow people who hate to win. I think we must combat the hate through ideas and good, strong thinking, and by making real, human interactions and connections.

“People should be judged by their character, not by a label. And we must remind ourselves to continue on, not to spite, but despite. We are committed to going on with our Jewish lives and to not allow such individuals who do such horrific things to distract us from the enormous and sacred tasks that face us as members of the Jewish people.”

Rabbi Mark Glickman will be formally installed as Rabbi of Kol Ami Congregation on Sept. 15.

He says, “I look forward to being a part of this community and sharing my ideas and thoughts with others of all faiths.”