On Rosh Hashanah, as we began a brand-new year, one of the giants of the Reform movement, Paul Reichenbach, passed from this world to worlds beyond. The imprint of his remarkable leadership can be found in literally every corner of our movement, but more than that, there are hundreds of thousands of Jewish people whose Jewish lives were sparked by the programs that he championed, from one of our 14 Jewish overnight camps to our youth programs to our many trips to Israel.

Later this month, we will observe Simchat Torah and complete the reading of the Torah. In thinking about Paul, I hear these closing words from Deuteronomy: “Never again would there arise in Israel another one like him” (34:10). Deuteronomy was, of course, speaking about Moses, who had led our ancestors on a camping journey through the desert on their way to Israel. As our leader of camping and travel to Israel, Paul oversaw our camping and youth immersive programs, pouring his soul into each staff member, each camper and teen traveler. He equally had the trust of the rabbis, cantors and educators, not to mention the parents who signed their children up because of the passionate case Paul made each time he addressed one of our communities.

Courtesy/Union for Reform Judaism

Paul Reichenbach in an undated photo.

Paul was not born into the world he oversaw, something he noted in reflections on his own journey. When he was 17, he had an experience at Jewish summer camp that changed the course of his life:

“I had spent the previous eight summers worshipping Native American deities at a boys’ summer camp on Long Lake in Maine. I never had the opportunity to have an ‘immersive’ Jewish experience in a camp or any other setting.”

While Paul described having the good fortune to come from a comfortable family, it was a scholarship from his congregation’s sisterhood, Temple Israel in Boston, that allowed him to attend a two-week leadership institute at the URJ (then the Union of American Hebrew Congregations) Kutz Camp in Warwick, N.Y. 

“While, unlike our lucky children who have the privilege of enjoying multiple summers at a URJ camp joyfully exploring and experiencing their Judaism, I had but two weeks with 200 like-minded teens from every corner of the continent. I had discovered a magical, utopian ‘sanctuary’ where being yourself, living intentionally and understanding that your contribution truly mattered was evident daily. I concluded those two weeks at camp with confidence in myself, proud of Reform Judaism, intensely connected to my peers and inspired to figure out how to make the connection from camp to congregation. Nothing was ever the same after my camp experience.” 

Paul’s professional life grew directly from his own transformational experience in our camp and youth programs. He understood the power of the programs he helped build and sustain. Over his 44 years with the Union for Reform Judaism, Paul devoted his life to creating meaningful Jewish experiences and communities where young people could discover connections, a sense of belonging and a lifelong love of Jewish life. He served as co-director of URJ Kutz Camp, led the Reform movement’s teen Israel programs and spent 17 years overseeing the URJ’s camps across North America as director of camping and Israel programs.

If you knew Paul, then you loved him. He was genuine, warm, bright, kind and absolutely devoted to bringing more and more young people into the life-giving waters of Reform Jewish life. 

I had the great fortune of working closely with Paul during the past 14 years as the president of the URJ. In the summer of 2014, after thousands of rockets were fired by Hamas from Gaza, Israel launched Operation Protective Edge. At the time, we had teens in locations from the south to the north. Paul worked 24/7 with our team in Israel to ensure that each day, each trip’s itinerary operated in a safe part of the country. During that summer, Paul was forever on the phone talking to concerned parents. The two of us had daily check-ins. Quite remarkably, we did not cancel or bring any of our trips to Israel back early, and, crucially, each trip continued to remain uplifting. 

At the end of that summer, I met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who thanked us for being one of the only tour operators that did not cancel or cut short any of our immersive Israel trips. The person who deserved the most thanks was Paul Reichenbach.

Everywhere Paul went, he built deep, long-lasting relationships. Nowhere was this more evident than in his decades-long relationship with Ike and Helaine Heller of Scotch Plains, N.J. Building on the existing Heller Family Scholarship Fund that provided more than 1,000 student scholarships over 40-plus years, Paul brought in the Heller family’s 2016 gift of $5 million dollars, renaming NFTY EIE (Eisendrath International Exchange) High School in Israel as URJ Heller High.

Sometimes Jewish leaders worry over whether the next generation of Jews will be as involved and care as deeply about living Jewish values. Paul knew that worrying is not a plan, but building a robust network of camps and compelling youth programs is. And that’s how Paul Reichenbach spent his decades at the URJ. 

In 2017, Rossov Consulting surveyed the alumni of URJ’s camping and youth programs. The impact they discovered was extraordinary:  Four of five — 82% — belong to a synagogue, havurah or minyan. From Paul’s vision sprang forth generations of Jews who built ties to the Jewish people, Israel, the Reform movement and one another. They, in turn, have built families, congregations and communities, carrying on Paul’s legacy the world over. His life of leadership and love for Israel and the Jewish people is a beacon of possibility to all who work in or fund this field. 

Our hearts go out to Paul’s children and grandchildren and all those who worked with him, learned from him, and were inspired by him. We remember him with love and know that his impact will never leave us. 

Rabbi Rick Jacobs is the president of the Union for Reform Judaism.