And the Flames Did Not Consume Us: A Rabbi's Journey Through Communal Crisis - Softcover

Mazo, Gary

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0933670060 ISBN 13: 9780933670068

Publisher: Rising Star Pr, 2000

Synopsis

A YOUNG SPIRITUAL LEADER AND HIS COMMUNITY FACE AN EMOTIONAL CRISIS AND A TEST OF FAITH. On November 1, 1994, Cherry Hills, New Jersey was rocked by the murder of Carol Neulander, wife of Senior Rabbi Fred Neulander of Congregation M’kor Shalom. Allegations of Neulander’s sexual improprieties were followed by his emergence as a suspect in his wife’s murder. Associate Rabbi Gary Mazo, just 4 years out of seminary and barely embarked on his career, found himself responsible for leading a 4000-member synagogue. Somehow, he had to find a way for his community to overcome their shock, heal their pain and renew their faith.

This concise, eloquently-written book relates Rabbi Mazo’s journey through storms of a magnitude he never expected to face. Crisis reveals character. Despite his youth and lack of experience, despite advice from colleagues to leave the perilous situation, he made the commitment to stay and bring healing to his community.

Adding to the complexity and the burden he faced, Fred Neulander had been Rabbi Mazo’s mentor--the man he most admired and wanted to work for. This part of Mazo’s inner struggle is not yet over: the Camden County District Attorney has upgraded the charges against Neulander to capital murder, meaning a death sentence is possible if he is found guilty. Mazo expects to be called as both a prosecution and a defense witness when the trial starts early in 2001.

The title of the book refers to Moses finding God’s word in a desert bush that was burning, yet somehow not consumed by the flames. The metaphor brought him hope: yes, flames may surround us; but they don’t have to consume us.

About this title

About the Author

In 1990, "fresh out of the seminary," Gary Mazo joined the staff of Congregation M kor Shalom in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Four years later he became the congregation s rabbi--and the youngest rabbi of a Reform congregation of this size in the country--through the compelling events described in this book. Since 1999 he has served as rabbi of the Cape Cod Synagogue in Hyannis, Massachusetts. He and his wife Debbi, also a rabbi, have three children.

From the Back Cover

"Gary Mazo offers a powerful narrative of a faith community s time of trial. Though tormented by the murder of his senior rabbi s wife, he led his bereaved congregation with understanding, patience and compassion. I couldn t put it down, and read it in one day."
--Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, co-author of "Finding God" and "What Happens After I Die"

"Rabbi Mazo s personal and professional pilgrimage as he sought healing for his shattered community is a story of great struggle and profound faith."
--Stephen R. Treat, DMin, Director and CEO, Penn Council for Relationships

Reviews

When Carol Neulander was found beaten to death in her suburban New Jersey home on November 1, 1994, local gossip mills began churning. Was it true that her husband, a charismatic rabbi with a large and loyal following, was a philanderer? Did he have something to do with her death? The answer to the former, according to Mazo, may be yes. The latter has yet to be resolved; the rabbi will soon stand trial for capital murder and felony murder. Even without the ending, this tale has all the makings of a great true-crime story. But Mazo, who served as Rabbi Neulander's assistant for four years before the murder and remained at the synagogue until 1999, deliberately avoids "salacious details" and taking sides. Instead, he tells the powerful story of how he helped to shepherd the synagogue's 1,000 families through a protracted process of grieving and acceptance that was complicated and compromised each time additional rumors surfaced about their former spiritual leader. Mazo felt safest addressing the issues through his sermons, many of which he scatters throughout the book (and which would have served better in a separate appendix). His lessons on the dangers of gossip, the importance of keeping a synagogue holy despite the encroachments of the outside world and the reality that one very flawed individual does not embody the whole of a religion are valuable even outside the context of this tragic story. (Dec. 15)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Rising Star Pr
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0933670060
• ISBN 13: 9780933670068
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 172