According to Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, “One of the most important things is to teach people how to celebrate.” Rabbi Arthur Schwartz has brought this teaching to all of us at Kehillath Shalom.
He urges us to sing despite the fact that we may not yet know the melody or even the words. He encourages us to pray even when we don’t know how or where to begin. He shows us, especially in the midst of our sorrows and trials, how to celebrate life and the blessings of Judaism. He urges us to ask questions. And he always has a story, a funny, thoughtful, wonderfully entertaining anecdote or parable. He reminds us of our obligation to our community, and to the fact that community doesn’t stop at the walls of our synagogue but moves outward until it embraces the world.
Kids love Rabbi Schwartz. He makes them think and laugh; he enchants them with his easy style. He has a hearty and melodious baritone voice and sings for the sheer joy of it. His “power ties” are his inventive Purim costumes; his teaching tools sometimes as simple as the tambourines he brings to services.
A black belt in Aikido, Rabbi Schwartz also plays a pretty mean set of bagpipes, but we only let him do that outside.
According to Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, “One of the most important things is to teach people how to celebrate.” Rabbi Arthur Schwartz has brought this teaching to all of us at Kehillath Shalom. 
