Rabbi Philip Gibbs recalls fondly the Appalachian Mountains of his youth.
Gibbs grew up in Marietta, Ga., and was fortunate enough to spend ample time hiking through parts of the sprawling Appalachian range of mountains and trails located throughout much of eastern North America.
Hiking certain foothills, trails and backcountry there, he says, informed a major spiritual and transcendent aspect of his childhood.
His love of the outdoors and nature growing up profoundly influenced his approach to Judaism – and has made his transition to becoming the new rabbi for West Vancouver’s Har El synagogue all the more fitting.
“Some of the things that make me a good fit, especially for Vancouver, is my love of the outdoors. Part of growing up in Georgia is you’re really in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains,” he explains.
“I spent a lot of time outdoors and really being in tune to nature.”
After approximately two years spent searching for the right candidate, Gibbs was asked to become Har El’s new rabbi, following the retirement of Rabbi Shmuel Birnham, who left Har El after leading the congregation for 16 years.
Besides offering a synagogue, Har El also includes a Jewish community centre, meeting space, Hebrew school and daycare.
Gibbs has been on the job for more than a week and has already taken it up with gusto, preferring to barrel straight into his new rabbinical duties rather than waiting by the sidelines.
“It’s been great,” Gibbs says about his first week at Har El.
He admits, however, that his first day had the potential to be a strange start, one that the 27-year-old rabbi managed to circumvent with his optimistic attitude and passion for community-building.
“It was starting on Tisha B’Av, which is the traditional Jewish fast day commemorating the destruction of the temple along with other tragedies that happened in the past,” he explains.
“In some ways, I tried to start a little bit before that so I didn’t quite start on a day that felt like a bad omen.”
This year, Tisha B’Av ran from sunset on July 31 to nightfall Aug. 1, coinciding with Gibbs’ first official day on the job.
Although a “bad omen” might have come to his mind initially, he quickly turned that around when he saw the devotion of those around him.
If anything, the day became an omen for good things to come.
“It was also a great opportunity because we were able to do a joint program with the big synagogue Beth Israel downtown, along with another conservative synagogue in Richmond, and we were able to do a very creative meaningful program,” he says.
“As much as there is that – starting on a sad day – we were able to do that in a way that I think really shows some of the strength and creativity and potential we have in this community.”
From there, Gibbs has only looked forward.
As Har El’s new rabbi his duties will include everything from teaching, leading services and providing spiritual care to the congregation’s members.
But to get the full scope of what Gibbs has to offer it’s best to look to his past.
Growing up, when Gibbs wasn’t out enjoying the wilderness of Georgia, he says his small-town suburban experience often created a feeling of being closed in, especially because it meant people had to drive everywhere.
“I think in some ways having that feeling was also one that made certain parts of Jewish practice meaningful for me, where, because of the way I observe Shabbat I don’t drive, so I really have had to find myself in more communities where there is a stronger culture of walking around,” he explains.
And indeed as a newly minted West Vancouver resident, Gibbs informs that he will be making the trek by foot to Har El during Shabbat – or, the Jewish day of rest.
Gibbs admits that it was at times strange growing up in the American South but he says the strong Jewish community where he came from, and the ways he was able to get involved there, inspired him to want to purse religious education later on.
He recounts his fascination at the way his high school English class could open up important questions by studying historical works. Coupled with his experience with Jewish youth groups and seeing how other rabbis worked to build a strong community, and his path was set.
“I thought very seriously about what it meant to live a more contemplative life and trying to find ways to bring that to others,” he says.
After high school, Gibbs moved to St. Louis, Mo., to attend Washington University where he did a dual degree in Hebrew studies and humanities.
In 2012, spurred by his undergraduate studies – particularly his work in humanities that allowed him to appreciate diverse perspectives and apply them to Judaism in a more open and creative way – Gibbs entered the prestigious Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City.
In May of this year, Gibbs graduated with a master’s degree in Talmud and rabbinic ordination.
Now that he’s on the North Shore, drawn here by the opportunity at Har El and the natural beauty of the area, he says he can feel the transcendent elements that once moved him back in Georgia.
“This feeling that there’s something beyond you, separate from you, and something that you really have to struggle and fight to connect – I really think that’s the primary emotion that allows someone to become connected to the community,” he says.
He adds that so far he has had an incredible experience on the North Shore, both because of the people in the synagogue community and others he has encountered going about his day.
“I think there really is that warmth and spirit in Vancouver that I’m really looking forward to being part of,” he says.
