Honoring Rabbi Roly Matalon’s 40 Years at BJ
For forty years, Rabbi Roly Matalon has guided B’nai Jeshurun with spiritual depth, moral clarity, and an unwavering devotion to prayer, music, learning, justice, and community. His rabbinate has shaped BJ into far more than a synagogue. Under his leadership, we have become a sacred community alive with song, rooted in Torah, animated by moral responsibility, and committed to the dignity of every human being. BJ’s spirit—its intensity, its warmth, its audacity—bears his imprint.
This spring, we begin a four-month journey of celebration leading to Rabbi Matalon’s retirement. Through five core pathways that have defined his rabbinate and shaped BJ—prayer, justice, learning, community, and music—we will gather to reflect, to study, to sing, and to give thanks. Together, we will honor not only the years that have been, but the spiritual imagination that continues to guide us forward.
There is no single way to thank a rabbi whose presence has touched so many lives so differently. But there is something we can do together: gather, learn, sing, remember, and invest in the future he helped build.
We hope you will join us for this Season of Gratitude.
Gather. Learn. Sing. Celebrate.
A Tribute Concert to Rabbi Roly Matalon: 40 Years of Prayer, Music, and Sacred Leadership
Thursday, June 11 @ 7:30 PM
At the culmination of this year’s Micki Levin Concert Series, this tribute concert honors Roly’s singular role in cultivating a rich and expansive musical tradition at BJ—one rooted in Jewish communities around the world and brought to life through voices raised together, melodies echoing through the sanctuary, and moments of prayer that linger long after the final note.
Featuring musicians and friends who partnered with him in this creative and spiritual journey, the evening celebrates a legacy of prayer, music, and sacred leadership that continues to form—and inspire—this community, and anchors a season of gratitude marking Roly’s forty years of service.
That same spirit continues into the weekend on Shabbat, Saturday, June 13, Roly will receive a special aliyah and blessing, followed by a festive Kiddush in his honor.
Ma Ahavti Toratekha: Torah in Rabbi Roly Matalon’s Honor
Wednesdays, beginning April 15 @ 7:00 PM
We are excited to present a seven-week learning series featuring beloved teachers, colleagues, and friends who have walked alongside him on the path of Torah. Together, they offer teachings that reflect the depth, curiosity, and spiritual seriousness that have animated Roly’s rabbinate and shaped Torah learning at BJ.
Across the series, distinguished teachers and friends of Roly – including Rabbi Arthur Green, Rabbi Marcelo Bronstein, Rabbi Jan Uhrbach, Rabbi Irwin Kula, Rabbi Michael Paley, Dr. Nathaniel Berman, Rabbi Joy Levitt, Rabbi Michael Strassfeld, and Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller – offer Torah in celebration of Roly’s 40 years of service and the vibrant culture of learning he has helped cultivate at BJ.
As part of this season of learning, we will gather for Tikkun Leil Shavuot: All-Night Study in Roly’s Honor (May 21)—featuring Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller, followed by learning throughout the night with BJ’s rabbis and fellows, as we dedicate our Shavuot study in gratitude for the Torah Roly has helped bring to life in this community.
Looking Back at 40 Years of Leadership: Roly in Conversation with David Litt
Thursday, April 23 @ 7:00 PM
An evening of reflection, storytelling, and insight with Rabbi Roly Matalon and David Litt, former Obama speechwriter and author of the comedic memoir Thanks, Obama: My Hopey Changey White House Years. In this wide-ranging conversation, Litt will sit down with Roly to look back on four decades of spiritual leadership at BJ—revisiting pivotal moments, bold ideas, and the evolving vision that helped shape this community. They’ll explore how BJ grew into the vibrant spiritual home it is today, the risks and aspirations that animated Roly’s rabbinate, and the relationships and teachings that have left a lasting mark on the community.
BJ Community Retreat
Pennsylvania | May 29-31 (members only)
We are so excited to bring back the BJ Community Retreat! It’s all of the beauty and spirit of a BJ Shabbat, outside of the hustle and bustle of New York City—and this special retreat is part of our celebration of Rabbi Roly Matalon and his 40 years of dedication and service to B’nai Jeshurun.
Whether you are a brand new member or have been a member for ages, experiences like this retreat are some of the best ways to meet new people, strengthen relationships, and find new meaning in your Jewish life. Our trips and retreats are a chance to immerse yourself in BJ’s unique approach to prayer, music, and the celebration of Shabbat, and you’ll return home feeling more connected to these core elements of our spiritual practice.
BJ Rabbinic Fellowship Alumni Shabbat
April 24–25
Alumni from the BJ Rabbinic Fellowship return for a special Shabbat of prayer, learning, and community—reflecting on the impact of BJ and Roly’s mentorship on their rabbinate and leadership. We’ll also gather for a Community Shabbat Dinner to celebrate together.
Standing at a Sacred Threshold
At the same time, as we celebrate Roly’s forty years of leadership, we stand at another sacred threshold: BJ’s bicentennial. The community he helped nurture is now entering its third century. In that spirit, we launched Sacred Space, Sacred Future—a bold campaign to renew the physical spaces that hold our communal life and to strengthen BJ for generations to come. At its heart will be a lasting tribute: the dedication of BJ’s Community House in honor of Rabbi Roly Matalon, linking his legacy to the sacred home he helped shape.
Give to Sacred Space, Sacred Future
Mark this milestone with a gift to BJ’s bicentennial campaign, strengthening the sacred spaces that Roly helped build and that will carry our community forward.
Share Your Gratitude & Blessings
Soon we will share opportunities to contribute to a community Tribute Book and a digital journal for the June concert—spaces for your stories, reflections, and words of thanks.
Be Part of the Journey
This season will unfold over the coming months—with gatherings, learning, music, and meaningful opportunities to honor Roly’s legacy.
If you’re not already on our list, sign up below to stay informed and walk this journey with us.
