Rabbi Reuven Tradburks
Yerushalayim
Jul 21, 2010
Rabbi Reuven Tradburks received his BA from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. He received his Smicha from Yeshiva University where he was in the Rav's shiur in the last year that the Rav was giving shiurim.
From 1994 until his aliyah in 2009, Rabbi Tradburks served as the rabbi of Kehillat Shaarei Torah of Toronto, a congregation of approximately 200 families. Prior to this, Rabbi Tradburks served as the rabbi of Knesseth Israel Synagogue in Birmingham, Alabama and as the assistant Rabbi of the Young Israel of Staten Island. He also taught in JSS at Yeshiva University.
In addition to his congregational duties, Rabbi Tradburks was the secretary of the Beis Din of the Vaad Harabonim of Toronto from 1997 to 2007. In this capacity, he was responsible for all intake and management of conversions and dinei Torah for the one Beis Din that handles all the conversions and dinei Torah in Toronto.
While in Toronto, Rabbi Tradburks served on a number of communal organizations including President of the Vaad Harabonim of Toronto, the Executive Committee of the Koby Mandell Foundation, the Executive Committee of the Canadian Friends of the Koby Mandell Foundaiton, the board of the Bnei Akiva Schools of Toronto, the Editorial Advisory Committee of the Canadian Jewish News, and the board of the Toronto Jewish Federation. Rabbi Tradburks is also a past President of the Association of Jewish Outreach Professionals.
When asked about his proudest achievements, Rabbi Tradburks had this to say:
“Within the shul I would have to say that I am proudest of the young people who have been moved to greater shmiras hamitzvos, in no small part due to my wife Joyce's willingness to make our home open to kids on Shabbos. A surprising source of nachas is my Thursday e-mail to the shul. This began because the majority of the shul does not attend regularly on Shabbos. As a result, our Shabbos Bulletin, which announces all the programs and mazel tovs, was not reaching all the members. So I decided to e-mail it to the members on Thursday along with a brief thought. This thought is not a Dvar Torah, but musings, thoughts about our kids, impressions about the news. Much to my surprise, I have received many comments and realized that this has become a way to keep in touch, even if mostly only one way, with the majority of the shul.”
Following their 4 children who one by one moved to Israel, Joyce and Reuven Tradburks made aliyah in 2009.
