Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, October 26, 1995 TAG: 9510260013
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CODY LOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
A yellow oval emblazoned with a black bat silhouette shone from the base of his neck.
Who was he?
No, not some mere secular valiant, but Jewish superhero Bat-mitzvah Man!
And in this case it's not too hard to uncover his alter-ego - Rabbi Frank Muller.
For the past decade Muller has been spiritual leader of Roanoke's Temple Emanuel congregation of Reform Judaism. Now he and his family - and a host of characters such as Bat-mitzvah Man - are leaving Roanoke for new challenges in Youngstown, Ohio.
In his unending quest for new ways to involve youth in the life of the Temple, Muller created numerous characters and locales, such as Bat-mitzvah Man, the Phantom of the Pulpit, and Jew-rassic Park.
``It makes a point with humor,'' Muller said. ``Doing `mitzvah' [Hebrew for ``good''] makes Bat-mitzvah Man able to battle evil.''
It is his work reaching out to youth, Muller says, that gives him the most satisfaction. At Temple Emanuel, he has written numerous special holiday skits; recorded contemporary children's music, as well as Hebrew, Yiddish and other Jewish music for the congregation, accompanying himself on guitar; and instituted ``Tot Shabbat,'' sabbath services for very young children.
It was his work as a youth leader and camp counselor while he was in college that led Muller to pursue ordination after receiving a business-administration degree from the University of California at Berkeley.
He immediately began study at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and was ordained in 1983. He served as an intern and student rabbi at congregations in California and Michigan before becoming assistant rabbi at a 1,400-family congregation in St. Louis in 1983. He was hired by the Roanoke temple in 1985.
Here, he has worked diligently to relate to youth and involve them in the life of the temple.
``My goal has been for our kids to understand that the ethics that they see taught in school - being good, treating others with respect - come from a Jewish base. Being taught not to steal is a religious teaching.
``I want them to see through Jewish eyes; to relate to what has been taught in a Jewish context.''
That includes teaching a confirmation curriculum based on ``modern ethical and moral dilemmas,'' Muller said.
One of those felt most keenly by many modern Jews is intermarriage with non-Jews and its frequently accompanying desertion of Jewish religion and culture.
Intermarriage is simply a fact of life in the United States, Muller said. ``If we ignore it, we'll just lose people.''
``Fully one-third of our congregation'' is interfaith couples, Muller said. It's a group to whom he has made a concerted outreach.
``Many non-Jewish spouses are involved in every aspect of Temple life,'' the rabbi said, and need not convert to Judaism to be active. ``We don't pressure'' those spouses to convert, but ``if they are interested, we encourage them to continue the process.''
``Kids are going to meet non-Jews and very well may fall in love with a non-Jew. We're not in a ghetto, not an isolated community. But we can have a thriving community despite that. That's why we have such an open stance on acceptance'' of non-Jews in the congregation.
``At least we can encourage them to raise their children as Jews ... to keep their children in Judaism.''
``I'm not advocating intermarriage, but it is a reality...we cannot pretend it doesn't exist. If we do, we'll lose half of the next generation.''
The emphasis on attracting and keeping youth in the faith is likely to continue with his successor.
Jeff Krasnow, head of the search committee for Muller's replacement, said it is ``essential to have a rabbi who likes youngsters and teens and who will devote time and attention to them.''
The search committee, in fact, includes three teen members.
Muller has done ``a number of wonderful, innovative things with the congregation to increase interest and participation,'' Krasnow said. ``We hope many of them will be continued by his successor and will be a legacy to his 10 years here.''
``We're also looking for a rabbi who can play the infield,'' Krasnow joked. Muller was ``an excellent shortstop'' on the only Jewish team in the Roanoke church softball league.
Though that may have been a tongue-in-cheek qualification, a new rabbi is likely to be a high-visibility spokesperson for the Jewish community. Along with the rabbi of Roanoke's Beth Israel congregation, Jerome Fox, the Temple Emanuel rabbi will be called upon to be ``an emissary of Judaism,'' as Muller describes one aspect of the job.
Muller has served as president of Roanoke Area Ministries, the ecumenical ministry that operates an emergency financial aid program and day shelter for the homeless.
He was an advisor at Anytown, a leadership camp in human relations and multi-cultural understanding sponsored by the National Conference of Christians and Jews, and served on the conference's Roanoke chapter board of directors.
Muller has served on the boards of the Southwest Virginia Food Bank, Family Service of Roanoke Valley and Planned Parenthood.
He has been an adjunct professor at Hollins College and a guest lecturer at Roanoke College.
Muller has been a frequent guest speaker on Judaism at clubs, churches and schools.
Though he has found a widespread lack of knowledge about Judaism - Jews make up less than 1 percent of the Roanoke Valley's population - Muller said he also has found ``a great openness to learning about Judaism and support for Jewish institutions.''
That was not what he expected when he moved here in 1985.
He worried that a small Jewish population in a Southern town might face some animosity, but discovered otherwise when he got here.
When the exterior of the Temple was defaced by Nazi symbols in 1988 and the city's Jewish cemetery was desecrated in 1990, there were immediate and broad-based denunciations of the acts by religious and secular leaders throughout the valley.
Despite the relative lack of Jewish cultural institutions here, Muller said, one ``can be Jewish in Roanoke.'' The Jewish community is close-knit, including a ``very positive relationship'' between the two Jewish religious congregations.
Muller's farewell service, in fact, will be a joint service of the congregations Friday at Temple Emanuel.
Muller, 40, is moving to a city that is only slightly larger than Roanoke, but which has a three-and-a-half times larger Jewish population. His new congregation is significantly larger than the 170 families affiliated with Temple Emanuel.
His wife, Geri, will move her desktop publishing business to their new home. The Mullers have two children, Julian, 8, and Arielle, 5.
by CNB