I was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA
in 1947. My parents were a 'mixed' marriage, my mother is Jewish, and my father
grew up within the Syrian Orthodox Church community in the States. As a child,
I was exposed to some degree to both cultures, but it was expected that I
would make my own religious decisions. Which I did!
In New York, I went to elementary school,
and attended the Bronx High School of Science. Later, I obtained a B.A. in
History from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. That was
in 1968. The Vietnam war was in full swing, and I had spent a good deal of
my time as an undergraduate campaigning against it. So, when it came time
for me to graduate, I resolved neither to go into the United States armed
forces to fight, nor take the place of someone else who would fight. Instead,
like so many others, I went to Canada. There, I studied the Bible and rabbinic
literature from a modern, academic point of view, got an M.A. from the University
of Toronto, and discovered Kabbalah and Hasidism. That brought me to Judaism.
Within a year, I was on my way to London
to study at the Leo Baeck College, to train as a Reform rabbi. There I met
my wife, Jacqueline, who became Britain's first woman rabbi in 1975, the
same year we were married. We have three children. Now, we live in London,
where Jackie serves the North West Surrey Synagogue, and I serve Shir Hayim,
the Hampstead Reform Jewish Community.
Am I a rebbe or a guru?
If you are looking for the answers to
all your problems, this is not the place for you. Rabbi Larry Tabick is not
a Hasidic-style rebbe, working wonders for his followers, nor a guru. I am
just another seeker, hoping that some of what I have found may help others
in their search.
In fact, I advise everyone to beware of
all gurus, starting with me. We must all take responsibility for our own
lives. We make seek advice, we may accept help, but we cannot pass the buck.
I do not believe in systems. Any systems
we can understand can be barriers to our spirits, because any system we can
understand cannot encompass or explain everything about God or life. I believe
in experience, but experience tempered by rational thought and a healthy
skepticism.
Here's my lovely family. From left to right, they are: Roni,
Mikki, Jeremy, Jackie and me.
