Rabbi Andrea London will retire from her role as senior rabbi at Beth Emet The Free Synagogue after 25 years of service. Credit: Sophia Jackson

After 25 years of service at Beth Emet The Free Synagogue, Rabbi Andrea London is set to retire this spring. On Thursday, the congregation voted to select Rabbi Brian Immerman, currently the senior rabbi at Congregation Sukkat Shalom in Wilmette, as their new senior rabbi.

London will remain at Beth Emet in an emerita capacity when Immerman takes over in July. 

“One of the reasons I came here […] in the year 2000 is because I think that Beth Emet is this rare combination of real commitment to justice, intellectual, integrity, and spiritual depth,” she said. 

From generation to generation

London arrived at Beth Emet in 2000, and said that the community has changed in similar ways to how the world has changed over the past 25 years. 

“I think because the world in some ways has become a more difficult and scary place, I think the community has come together even more,” London said. “People have really realized the importance of community and staying together as community.” 

London said that one of the most valuable parts of leading a congregation is how she has guided so many families through milestones.

“I can think of people who I did their grandparents’ funeral, and I did their bar mitzvah, and I did their baby naming and their wedding,” London said. “And it’s such a positive thing to be able to be with people throughout the life cycle.” 

Since she became the senior rabbi at Beth Emet, London has overseen changes to the ways the synagogue is run, from the appointment of a full-time Youth Director to renovations in 2018. 

Working in Evanston

While reflecting on her time leading Beth Emet, London repeatedly recalled moments of collaboration in the interfaith community. London, as a representative of Beth Emet, is part of Interfaith Action Evanston, a coalition of 40 organizations across a wide spectrum of religious affiliations, including Quakers, Mennonites, Jews, Buddhists, Catholics and more.

When there are crises, Interfaith Action brings people together for worship and support. London cited the shooting at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018 as an example. The shooting took place on a Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. London does not use her computer on Saturdays in observance of Shabbat. When she turned on her computer that night, she said she was flooded with messages of support. Her next thought was the need to gather the Evanston community at Beth Emet. 

“The next night, there were a thousand people in the sanctuary, and people from every religious tradition came to speak and to support, and the mayor was here,” London said. She said that the mayor started the service by asking how many people present were not Jewish, and more than half the sanctuary stood. 

“And that was such a powerful example about what we had created,” London said. “And the reason we could do that is because we already have the relationships. You can’t create relationships after the crisis has started. The relationships precede crisis.” 

Again and again, London pointed to times when Interfaith Action brought Evanstonians together across differences, in support of causes ranging from protesting President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement to raising money and support for reparations. 

Changes since October 2023

London said that following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas on Israel, her community was “riven with division.” Some wanted the Evanston City Council to pass a ceasefire resolution, and others “felt like the ceasefire resolutions they were proposing were not really supportive of Jews, even though, of course, everybody wants to see a cessation of violence.”

London called it “one of the hardest times I think we’ve had as clergy.” 

On Oct. 7, 2023, London herself was in Israel as part of an interracial, interfaith delegation, and could not get back to Evanston for several days. One of the hostages taken that day was the nephew of two Beth Emet members. On Oct. 8, 2023, Interfaith Action held its annual dinner, honoring members of the community. That night, there was no acknowledgement of what had happened the day before.

The next year, London said, leaders of Interfaith Action wrote a powerful statement apologizing and holding space for the Jews and Palestinians impacted by the conflict. London said that the statement was “incredibly beautiful” and that she “sent it around the world.” 

London has been engaged in conversations about Israel and Palestine for years, having been a leader in J Street, which describes itself as an organization for “pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans who want Israel to be secure, democratic and the national home of the Jewish people.”

“But I think, you know, what I’ve noticed also is that nobody’s views are completely set,” London said of herself and colleagues in Interfaith Action. 

“And I think that that’s what I really value,” London said. “Is a sense of openness and growth and that when we don’t agree, we’re still in dialogue with each other.”

Next steps

London said she plans to follow the tradition of makings herself scarce in the first year of service of the new rabbi, so that he can establish his own relationship with the congregation. But she will still have an office at Beth Emet, and will continue to serve the community in an emerita capacity. 

“This is not only the place I work, it’s my community, too,” London said. “I raised my kids here. My husband’s involved. This is our home.” 

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