It might be a first, a rabbi delivering a sermon on Easter Sunday. But not for Rabbi Rob Lennick, who is part-time pastor for the Eureka Springs Unitarian Universalist (UU) Fellowship, who has long been involved in interfaith activities.
“I felt honored and excited to give the sermon on Easter,” Lennick, rabbi for the Community Synagogue of Northwest Arkansas, said. “I love the UU based on the fact that it is very inclusive and open minded. It’s not Christian and it’s not Jewish. There is a tremendous respect for each individual’s search and discovery for the meaning of life. Easter and Passover are events about hope and renewal.”
The title of Lennick’s Easter sermon was, “Love your scars.” He said scars symbolically figure strongly in Christianity, as the crucifixion and Passover story are about the suffering and scars of ancient Israelite slavery in Egypt.
“It is pretty much impossible to get through life unscathed,” Lennick said. “Scars are badges of courage. Each scar has a story that has shaped our character and life. Embedded in every scar is living proof of the hopefulness of life, living proof of healing, and living proof of survival. We should be proud of our scars. They are emblems of the goodness that comes out of even the most difficult circumstances.”
Lennick came to Northwest Arkansas in 2014 for a consulting position with a synagogue in Bentonville that was supposed to last four months. Instead, he stayed several years before moving to Eureka Springs a month ago. He has long been a major advocate of interfaith communications, and spent a number of years as president and CEO of a national interfaith organization, Religion in American Life.
“One of the first things accomplished when I got here was the establishment of the Benton County Interfaith Alliance,” he said. “People said it would be difficult to create but I found the opposite. We have held community-wide Thanksgiving observances and had other collaborations with different faith groups in Benton County. That is something I’m looking forward to helping facilitate in Eureka Springs.”
Lennick grew up in Massachusetts, and went on to live in Colorado, Connecticut, Florida and Pennsylvania. Arkansas might not at first seem fertile ground for him, but he said he believes it’s important to be a progressive voice in the midst of what can be perceived to be a very non-progressive environment.
“In fact, there are a lot of progressively minded people here,” Lennick said. “That has been proven to me over and over again.”
Lennick’s mother was very involved in politics, and he recalls going to political events starting at age five.
“During the Vietnam War and desegregation, I accompanied her to meetings and rallies,” Lennick said. “So I always felt the need to speak up for people who couldn’t speak for themselves. And that was combined with a basic message I heard in my household, which was that the essence of Judaism is about making the world a better place, and that ‘faith’ was a verb. It is one thing to say you believe in something and quite another to act on those beliefs to make the world a better place. I grew up in a culture that encouraged making a difference.”
Lennick spent his 21st birthday in 1977 in jail for being involved with the Clamshell Alliance protest against the Seabrook [NH] nuclear power plant project. Since then, he has often found opportunities to stand up for social justice and speak truth to power. He advocated for the creation of the Human Rights Commission in Greenwich, Ct., and stood up against a gubernatorial candidate in Colorado who held up a Bible and said it was the “Constitution of the U.S.” He has advocated for pro-choice candidates, gender-neutral language in worship and LGBT rights.
“When anyone stands up and speaks out, one takes the risk of rejection personally or professionally,” Lennick said. “But the fact of the matter is, if no one took those risks, change for the better would never happen.”
Lennick didn’t consider becoming a rabbi until he got kicked out of Hebrew school in fifth grade for misbehaving. He was given an alternative opportunity to study with the rabbi.
“He opened my eyes to the progressive attitudes of Judaism,” Lennick said, who has a Doctor of Ministry and honorary Doctor of Divinity degree, in addition to other degrees. “When I was thinking about a life path, being a rabbi seemed like a great way to make the world a better place.”
In addition to giving one sermon a month at the UU, Lennick also offers adult learning classes the first and third Wednesday nights of the month at the UU fellowship. Community Synagogue also offers a Sabbath Service in Eureka Springs on the first Friday night each month at 7 p.m. at the Heart of Many Ways at 68 Mountain St.
“In our adult learning, we explore the issues of the day through sacred literature and philosophy, and contemporary thinkers,” Lennick said. “The goal is to enhance our thinking. It is not enough simply to teach facts.”
He also offers clinical pastoral counseling and spiritual guidance. “Sometimes people just need to be listened to without judgment,” he said.
Eureka Springs is the smallest town Lennick has ever lived in, but it’s a good fit.
“I’ve always had an affinity for the woods and the mountains,” he said. “I feel like my whole life has been a rehearsal for my life in Eureka Springs. It is just beautiful. I love the fact Eureka Springs is filled with creative, motivated, and visionary people. Everywhere I turn, I meet more people who are really committed to making the world better. I can think of no place I would rather be.”