Rabbi at Congregation Beth Chaim to retire after 42 years

WEST WINDSOR, N.J. – A forceful and dedicated leader, the

senior rabbi at Congregation Beth Chaim will retire after 42 years of service.

Rabbi Eric B. Wisnia announced that he plans to resign from leading the congregation Jan. 31, 2019.

Wisnia joined Congregation Beth Chaim in 1977, and has led the synagogue through substantial growth by presiding over more than 4,000 life cycle events.

One of his most recent life cycle events was his mother’s funeral a few months ago.

“My congregants were here to support me, just as I have supported them all these years,” says Wisnia.

A powerful voice for religious liberty, he believes that, “We are all brothers and sisters, and when any of our rights are diminished, all of our rights are diminished.”

The community heard Wisnia’s voice when he advocated for building a Muslim Center of Greater Princeton in West Windsor.  This led the mosque to honor him with a Community Service Award in Dec. 2014.

He said he supported the building because his religion teaches him that we are our brothers’ keepers.

“My torah tells me to love the ‘stranger,’’’ he states.

Wisnia is very community oriented and has received other recognitions.

In September, the Jewish Federation of Princeton Mercer-Bucks also honored Wisnia for his dedicated service to the community.

Several times, he served as president for Windsor-Hightstown Area Ministerium, where the community’s clergy meet to address community issues such as feeding the homeless at the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen and Homefront, and participating in the CROP Hunger Walk with Church World Service.

Wisnia’s service also includes being on the Jewish Committee on Scouting for the Central New Jersey Council Boy Scouts of America.

His other affiliations include: Serving on the Institutional Review Board for Medical Ethics of the Medical Center at Princeton; chairman of the Committee on Religious Ministries at the Medical Center for many years; chairman of the Board of Directors of the Family Service Agency of Princeton; and was active with the New Jersey West Hudson Valley Area Reform Rabbis, where he was president.

After all this, the rabbi says he is looking forward to life after service.

He jokes that after retirement he will be a bum, annoy his wife and children, play war games on the computer, and seriously write a book about slavery, racism and the Civil War.

To conclude his service, Congregation Beth Chaim will celebrate Wisnia’s role in the synagogue and the community by hosting a benefit gala on Nov.3.

For tickets, journal ads and information about other events to honor Wisnia, please visit www.bethchaim.org/benefit.

— Follow Michelle Dryden on Twitter @Michelle_Dryden