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For about 20 years, Rabbi Patricia Hickman guided the worshippers of Israel’s temple through life and death, while nurturing a developing interfaith movement on the Space Coast.
Now, Hickman, one of the 3 leading rabbis serving Brevard’s Jewish community, is about to retire as a non-secular leader of the Viera congregation.
“She’s very human, very affectionate. She is a friend and confidant of the faithful. There are a lot of relationships,” said Michael Slotkin, president of the 57-year-old Reformed congregation.
A retreat gala held on May 22, in the presence of her husband and daughter, as well as other members of the circle of relatives and faithful. Hickman, a singer, sang fortunately with her daughter and husband in front of the guests.
“I got to middle age and I feel like it’s time to move on and slow down a little bit and explore some of the things I never had time to do,” Hickman told FLORIDA TODAY.
“I will be connected to the congregation. We plan to stay in Brevard for now,” said Hickman, who will serve as rabbi emeritus and teach occasionally.
During his time in the Temple of Israel, Hickman taught many youth and adults. In one of his tikuns, an e-book that was used to prepare to read the Hebrew-language Torah or Moses’ five e-books, he was filled with small notes scribbled with his students’ names.
“This is an e-book that you use to sing Torah training. It’s full of notes. It was just a joy,” Hickman said.
Hickman, who attended the Manhattan School of Music where she earned a bachelor’s degree in music, joined the congregation as a singer, making a song with classical melodies and more fashionable songs through Jewish artists like Debbie Friedman.
She earned her Master’s Degree in Sacred Music from Hebrew Union College. He was ordained a rabbi in 2012.
The congregation of 140 families has already selected a new rabbi, Brett Tancer of Jupiter, to take on the role of non-secular leader.
Hickman also helped build relationships with denominational clergy.
“Certainly, my interfaith paintings have been a component in serving netpaintings,” he said of his paintings with the nonprofit Interfaith United that brought together Jews, Christians, Muslims and others for netpaintings meetings and prayer events.
Prayer memorials held after the terrorist attacks and accumulated for Thanksgiving services.
One of the hardest questions for Hickman is to promote the Viera Synagogue, one of the 3 main congregations, and then migrate to another smaller construction on site.
The original synagogue, which stood on a plot of land on Andrew Drive Lake that was once a pasture for cows, was built in 1996 and sold in 2018 to Chabad Of The Space and Treasure Coasts.
“She guided us through that,” Slotkin said.
The new building, approximately 8,500 square feet, sits on a 2-acre plot of land from the original temple.
More: Moving Forward: Viera Synagogue Prepares for New Location with Special Ceremony
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Hickman, like other devout leaders, found that the final years of his tenure were complicated as he struggled to balance the synagogue’s life cycles with the influence of COVID-19, with its mask mandates, vaccination calls, and quarantines.
The synagogue emptied itself of its parishioners and they were relegated to live streaming on YouTube.
“The total COVID experience has been incredibly difficult. There is a lot of fear about in-person services. I learned a lot about the virtual world. But at the same time, there’s been a lot of expansion for me personally, a lot of thinking,” Hickman said.
Now Hickman is running on a book, an autobiographical look at the upheavals he’s faced over the years. You’ll also delve into blogging and aging-focused topics.
“She’s going to be a member of the network here,” Slotkin said.
“So there will be that connection. In fact, she kept the congregation. “
J. D. Gallop is a justice/Breaking News reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday. com. Twitter: @JDGallop.
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