Twelve Questions with Rabbi Steven Jablow

Q: Favorite Jewish food?

A: Matzah for Pesach.

Q: Favorite Jewish holiday?

A: Pesach. Why? It is just so much work, which makes you appreciate it.

Q: Favorite Jewish song?

A: Sheva Brachot at a wedding.

Q: Favorite Jewish movies?

A: “Crossing Delancey” and “The Frisco Kid.”

Q: Favorite Jewish celebrities?

A: David Broza (musician), Gene Wilder, Stephen Spielberg.

Q: Favorite Israeli city to visit?

A: Jerusalem.

Q: Favorite Israeli city to live?

A: Galilee

Q: Favorite Hebrew word and why?

A: Shalom – the word for peace – much of the work we try to do here at Bryant is for peace, and the word is so similar in Arabic (Salaam). So, when I meet an Arabic-speaking student, I can greet him, which sometimes opens doors for conversation.

Q: Favorite Yiddish word?

A: Chutzpah.

Q: Best part of keeping Kosher, worst part of keeping Kosher?

A: Best part – I would say brisket because I have a great old family recipe. But, more seriously, it makes you think about your identity all the time.

Worst part – We don’t have enough Kosher opportunities to eat in Rhode Island.

Q: Favorite part of being Jewish?

A: That’s way too hard to answer. It’s everything. I see the world through Jewish lenses; I hear the world through Jewish ears. I can’t see it differently. So, my favorite part is sharing it with people wherever they are along their Jewish journey.

Q: Favorite part of being a rabbi?

A: Talking with people. People are very open and honest in conversation, and it’s a privilege to be in conversation with them.

Q: Favorite Jewish memory from your life/childhood?

A: From my childhood, I would say that I used to have this group of friends and we would get together after Sunday school and do something social. Sometimes we’d go bowling, sometimes we’d hang out at somebody’s house. Those were pretty good memories.

Q: Greatest piece of advice someone has given you, and who gave it to you?

A: Life is complicated enough; don’t screw it up by lying. (From Jablow’s teacher, Rabbi Daniel Judson.)

Q: If you could have three dinner guests, living or from history, who would they be and why?

A: I think it would be quite an interesting dinner table discussion to have Abraham, Moses and Jesus there.