At New Shul, Beyond Apples And Honey

Soapbox preacher: New Shul Rabbi Dan Ain, who brought his High Holy Days message to Washington Square Park, will be installed this week. Michael Datikash

by Sharon Udasin
Staff Writer

Decked out in brown suede Nikes, distressed denim jeans and black Ray-Ban sunglasses, Rabbi Dan Ain stood atop a “kosher” soapbox in Washington Square Park Monday afternoon, extolling heresy and encouraging his listeners to break from tradition during these 10 days of awe and repentance.

“You guys didn’t expect a rabbi to stand up and talk in Washington Square Park,” he said.

At a first glance, most passers-by thought they were about to hear yet another testifying Evangelical minister. But Rabbi Ain, 32, sported a blue button-down bowling shirt with a bright yellow “Rabbi Dan” nametag embroidered above the pocket and a swooping New Shul logo silk-screened across the back.

Throughout this week, he has been delivering short soapbox talks just south of the Washington Arch, to discuss how we can reconnect with our thoughts and reinvent our spiritual selves during the days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. Meanwhile, the New Shul is hosting a nearby House of Awe and Repentance Café, with a variety of interactive multimedia displays, creative modes of repentance and a wine-coffee bar tended by Rabbi Ain himself.  

“I think we need this time at the end of the year to reconnect with who we want to be,” said the rabbi … Continue reading…

Video of Rabbi Ain’s talk: