Everybody Loves Kalman

Kalman Topp is the new chief rabbi at the Orthodox synagogue Beth Jacob in Beverly Hills. With 750 member families, it’s quite a difficult shul to run. There are a lot of difficult people there. Steven Weil, the previous rabbi, ran it well. He ran it his way. He made alliances and he got things done, sometimes by riding roughshod over others, sometimes by not worrying much about the feelings of his fellow rabbis, sometimes he rubbed some people the wrong way and they hated him for it and went out to get him.

Kalman Topp is a very different kettle of fish from Steven Weil. Everyone I’ve talked to likes Kalman Topp. "He’s a heimashe (Yiddish word for friendly) guy," is a common line I get.

Rabbi Topp enjoys good relations with the rabbis at Pico-Robertson’s two other big Modern Orthodox congregations — Bnai David-Judea and Young Israel of Century City.

Steven Weil didn’t leave behind many friends in LA’s Orthodox rabbinate when he took the top position at the Orthodox Union.

Kalman Topp is a breath of fresh air at Beth Jacob. The shul is enjoying having a pastoral-type rabbi for the first time in many years. They’re enjoying not having a histrionic rabbi. Rabbi Topp does not push people around unnecessarily. He does not flex his power unnecessarily. He displays very little ego. He’s understated. He doesn’t go around telling people, "I was a talmid of the Rav." Thank God for small blessings.