This beautiful Love Box, created for Rabbi Merow by Lisa Weiss-Shore and Sheryl Love, is filled with personal notes of appreciation, best wishes and,
of course, love.
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Videos
Excerpts from “A Commitment to Repair the World: The Impact of Religious Traditions on Social Justice Work"
Excerpts from "Voices of the Next Generation: A Conversation about Jewish Identity and Education”
Excerpts from Shabbat morning, April 17, 2021
Beit Cafe, "The Rabbi Merow Experience"
Sentiments Shared on Shabbat, 4/17/21
Beth Porter
Fred Wolfson
Rabbi Rachel Kobrin
Ruth Blumenthal-Appel
Arnie Lurie
Commendation from Attorney General and Friend, Josh Shapiro
The first of three tribute events to honor Rabbi Merow was held the evening of February 16, 2021. BSC hosted, “A Commitment to Repair the World: The Impact of Religious Traditions on Social Justice Work”. The format was virtual conversation with: Rabbi Andrea Merow; Sister Mary Scullion of Project HOME and Pastor Robin Hynicka of Arch Street United Methodist Church. It was moderated by Rabbi David Glanzberg-Krainin and introduced by Jeannette Norris.
On the evening of March 16, 2021, BSC presented a webinar:
“Voices of the Next Generation: A Conversation about Jewish Identity and Education”.
Hosted by educators Allison Sasson & Cheryl Magen and moderated by Rabbi Merow, the panel featured, Corey Bass; Jenna Ferman; and Rabbi Andrew Markowitz.
Shabbat Morning Services on April 17, 2021
Sentiments Shared on April 17, 2021 / 5th of Iyyar, 5781
Beth Porter
Dear Rabbi Merow and Beth Sholom Community,
It has been my honor and privilege to have Rabbi Merow as my Rabbi and also as a treasured colleague. In my years as a preschool teacher at Beth Sholom’s Early Learning Center, I had the pleasure of working alongside Rabbi Merow, who was an integral part of our school. Every Shabbat and holiday was joyfully enhanced by Rabbi’s spirit and enthusiasm. She actively participated in our Mitzvah programs like Israel Guide Dogs for the Blind and our Cycling fundraisers for St. Judes and Beit Issie Shapiro in Israel. For many years, Rabbi Merow and I happily collaborated in a children’s program each Yom Kippur Day. Her spontaneity perfectly complimented my “plan every detail” style. I remember fondly when Rabbi Merow would pop in to our PreK class, unexpectedly. She’d grab one of those little chairs, cozy up with the kids and join in for snack and conversation! I just loved watching her interactions with our young students!
A number of years ago, my dearest friend suffered a devastating family tragedy. Her 19 year old son was horrifically injured in a car accident, given a 3% chance of surviving the night. Miraculously he did survive, though he sustained injuries that required a long road of recovery. Exactly one year later, tragedy hit again. My friend’s young stepson was struck and killed while riding a motorcycle. Needless to say, the family was reeling from these catastrophes for a very long time, feeling completely despondent and hopeless. One day my friend asked me what I thought they could do to give them back some control of their lives and optimism for a brighter future. I too was at a loss, but I was going to consult my spiritual adviser, Rabbi Merow. She immediately called a Rabbinic colleague who began listing Jewish practices that we might say were “out of the mainstream”. Blow the shofar in every room, announcing evil spirits to vacate! We did that, laughing all the way!
The recommendation that they REALLY loved was to get married again! Have a new wedding date, a new Ketubah and a fresh beginning. And who better to perform the ceremony than…..Rabbi Merow?!!That wedding, which took place in our living room, began the process of healing, renewal and embracing life again. Stan and I, along with our closest friends will forever be grateful to Rabbi Merow for making this happen!
Rabbi, thank you for your wisdom, counsel, teaching, friendship and lovingkindness. You embody a Jewish Neshamah. You will always have a special place in my heart.
With Love,
“Morah Bayla”
Fred Wolfson
Close to 20 years ago with my wife Marla we went to a shul in the northeast that was interested in merging with Beth Sholom. The Friday night service was well attended, and we met with a young rabbi that not only had the congregation, but us totally engaged in the service. That night, we met a congregation under her leadership that was welcoming... at that point I was convinced that a marriage between our shuls would work.
Fast forward a little, when I became president, my relationship with Rabbi Merow took on a totally different course. I realized not only that she was a caring and giving person, but just how uniquely knowledgeable she was. The programs that she initiated are cutting edge, and have made us, the congregants and the community as a whole, ready for future needs.
Thru hard times and good times, Rabbi is always there with kind and spiritual words.
Marla and I wish her only the best and we are truly better people from having this relationship.
Good luck Rabbi Merow ...you will be missed.
When I think of Rabbi Andi Merow, I think of the following words: compassionate. Strong. Funny. Fierce. Creative. Joyful. Loving. Brave. Devoted.
I met Rabbi Merow when I arrived in Elkins park 7 years ago. She and Rabbi GK brought me a welcome gift — a honey plate for Rosh Hashanah and a bottle of wine. She immediately struck me as a force of nature — creative and driven. Visionary. I learned quickly that she has no space for sloppiness or emotionless work. I also came to see that Rabbi Merow cares deeply for the future of the Jewish people and for every single one of her congregants. She will be ever present for her people, going to bat for them — whether that means finding significant funding for a kid to go to camp Ramah, arranging a last minute Israel experience for a college student — complete with home hospitality, taking a cancer survivor to the Mikveh, singing and dancing at a simchah, helping a single mom get groceries from the food pantry while retaining their dignity, sitting at a deathbed, holding a hand, singing and reciting viduiy — She will be there for her people at any hour of the day. I saw this.
And then I didn’t just see it — I felt it. I became one of her people. Even as I led my community, my personal life was falling apart. I felt like I was breaking. And Rabbi Merow did what she always does — she jumped in. She called me and said she had made a deposit at Curds and whey so I could order some meals on days that felt particularly rough.
It’s important for you to know something here: I was not yet Rabbi Merow’s friend. I was the colleague at the competitive shul up the street. But she knew I needed people — I had to be strong for my congregation, and so I needed other rabbis to hold me up. And she stepped forward. She listened, she comforted, she never pried. She became a sounding board. A confidant. A soul sister. She walked me through a marriage falling apart and finding new love — and stood by me in a way that only the best of people could. I would not be who I am today if it were not for Rabbi Merow’s uncompromising friendship.
A great rabbi has the capacity to really see others for who they are— to hold them, to challenge them, to inspire them. A great rabbi sees Torah as a living document and finds innovative ways to make it meaningful. A great rabbi knows that Judaism calls us to heal the brokenness in our world — and a great rabbi works for that with courage and conviction. A m great rabbi inspires people with joyful, participatory song in services. And a great Rabbi shares her wisdom with piercing light and gentle vulnerability when working with bnai mitzvah students, when preaching from the bima, and when teaching a class. A great rabbi sees what is missing — she sees the holes — and she envisions and actualizes ways of filling those empty spaces through creative, dynamic, new and engaging programming. A great rabbi is brave, says things that aren’t always popular, stands up for important principles, and models kindness.
Rabbi Merow is a *great* rabbi. Beth Shalom has been so lucky to have her devotion for all of these years, and the Jewish center could not be more fortunate.
Andi, my beloved friend — may you continue to lead with strength and bravery, with wisdom and vulnerability and with love. May you continue to sing — and to energize your community with your beautiful voice. And may you continue to love the people you serve — opening up your heart fully to embrace them, helping them to grow to be their very best. May you find friendship, inspiration, joy, and love in your new home, and may it be filled with laughter and with light.
Rabbi Rachel Kobrin
We all have an “eternal light”, our own “ner talmid” inside of us! Our dear Rabbi is one who has helped many of us to raise up that light within us, l’ha’’a lot ner talmid, through her holy and passionate words, through her actions, through meditation, chanting, song, prayer, friendship and leadership! She’s been our partner along the way! What a blessing!
Thus, I couldn’t feel more honored, on this sacred day of Shabbat, to help honor our dear friend, our rabbi, as she transitions to gloriously serve a new community! They have chosen well! For they, like us, will feel the grace, the deep spiritual passion, the creativity, the deeply entrenched Jewish values that are so integral to who she is. She infuses this all with a deep love and caring, not only within our four walls, but always reaching and finding need within our broader community. Rabbi, friend and leader. We have experienced all these qualities in a special Rabbi Andy way.
I share one, of many, personal experiences I had with her which, I feel encapsulates a part of who she is as a person and Rabbi. I reached out to her a number of years ago as I felt the need to establish a Jewish ritual punctuating and marking a transition in my life following the passing of my husband and looking into the future! She delved into this with me, teaching me, sharing creative rituals that I could adapt, and giving me support and encouragement to create a Jewish ritual that fit my needs. It was a deeply spiritual and intimate process that she accompanied me through from beginning to end! That is who she is. Sharing her neshama and giving support to others to continually find ones’ ways, with G-d, and with new, creative and personal Jewish rituals, through the life cycle.
Rabbi Andy, you will always be a part of our individual and collective “Ner Talmid”, for once it is lit, it is always a part of our process of raising the light within!
Thanks for helping us to raise our light within!
Thanks for sharing your neshama and heart!
Thanks for sharing your rabbinic passion and talents!
Knowing that your life is so full of good deeds, I know, that G-d’s blessings will always surround you wherever you are!
You will be sorely missed.
My love goes with you!
Shabbat Shalom!
Ruth Bluethenthal-Appel
Thank you, Rabbi GK. And Shabbat Shalom. I want to begin by saying how very proud I am of you, Rabbi Merow – and how grateful for what you have accomplished over the past 25 years. In a way, the Rabbi and I grew up together. When I met her, she was a newly minted graduate from JTS and I was a backbencher at Temple Sholom. Within short order, she was the congregation’s senior rabbi, and I was its president. It was to be a tremendous learning experience for both of us. The clergy of my youth were straight out of central casting – with their Eastern European accents and their senatorial bearing . But from your first moments on the bema with the youngest of Temple Sholom’s children, it was clear that you brought a totally new dynamic to Shabbat services. You showed me what good clergy COULD be, thus forever changing my definition of what good clergy SHOULD be. So at the same time I celebrate the next phase of your career, I want to honor the things about you that I most appreciate. The first is your sense of PURPOSE. Your mission was to connect Jews to Judaism. And you were always willing to meet people where they were on that journey. Understanding that prayer was but one path into Judaism, you gave congregants a chance to live out their values, to learn about Jewish history and culture, to embrace the concepts of Tikum Olam in daily life, not just in theory. You are an excellent teacher to be sure, but your best lessons were often delivered through your actions, not just your words. But what is PURPOSE without PASSION? Your passion defines you and benefits those on whose behalf you work. As an advocate, you were relentless in the pursuit. You brought the Food Pantry into our lives – you championed social justice in the thinking and in the doing – you empowered women to play a stronger role in Judaism – you spoke up for congregants in court, and you made sure that all Jewish children on your watch had ample opportunity to identify as Jews – in school, in camp, in life – often playing the role of personal fundraiser to ensure every door was open. And as everyone here can attest, you are a hard woman to turn down. And finally, what is PASSION without COMPASSION? The thing that I admire most is the extraordinary sense of compassion you bring to your pastoral work. Yes, you were ever present in shiva houses and hospital rooms. But not only did you come. You stayed. You sat in the infusion room while chemo was administered. You stayed around AFTER the funeral to make sure that the bereaved had things to connect to and live for. You make room at your personal table for people who had no place to go for the holiday. You made sure that the Bar Mitzvah boy had a decent suit to wear on the day he became a man. You never confined yourself to one side of the pulpit; instead you were right in there with us, making sure we had the strength to get through the vicissitudes of everyday life. With your purpose, you taught us. With your passion, you inspired us. And with your compassion you made us whole. To me -- that is now– and will always remain – my textbook definition of a rabbi. You are leaving us better than you found us. And we will miss you.
Arnie Lurie
Dear Rabbi Andi, it's an honor to have curated this site to celebrate your time at BSC. I know the world will benefit form the holy work you will continue in Princeton and beyond! 🤍Carra
