Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins

By Donald Gilpin

Among the memorable experiences Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins has had in his five-plus decades as a spiritual leader, the 13 years he spent at The Jewish Center of Princeton rank high. Elkins was the congregation’s rabbi from 1992 to 2005, a period he is detailing in a memoir that is part of a book to be released next year.

“I met an amazing number of very world-class people during that time, both in the congregation and in visitors to the congregation,” Elkins said during a phone conversation from his home in Jerusalem, where he moved three years ago. “These were people of very high intelligence. They knew I was an expert in my field, just as they were experts in theirs. But it was challenging, because I had to be on a very high intellectual level and I worked very hard at that.”

The memoir, Princeton Pantheon, is part of A Rabbi’s Memoir: Journey to Jerusalem, which will be published next year. In the meantime, Elkins has two books coming out in February: The Holy Brothers, which is a translation of a book by Simcha Raz; and the fictional Four Rabbis at Lunch. Elkins has published 51 other books, including the best seller Chicken Soup for the Jewish Soul with Jack Canfield, and Mark Victor Hansen.

“Just about every year, one or two comes out,” he said. “During the last two years, I have been translating some wonderful Hebrew books that I think should be receiving wider attention among English-speaking readers. I just finished translating Simcha Raz’s sixth book. It’s really nice to be in that group. I translate, I write, and I also have a newsletter that rabbis around the country subscribe to, giving rabbis ideas for their sermons.”

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Elkins was rabbi of congregations in Cleveland, Ohio and Rochester, New York before coming to Princeton. While at The Jewish Center, he served as president of the Princeton Clergy Association, the Princeton Medical Center Committee of Ethics, and the Rabbinical Assembly Committee of Jewish Law and Standards, according to The Jewish Center’s website.

During Elkins’ tenure, congregants who impressed him included former Princeton University president Harold Shapiro, an active member who frequently lectured; Princeton University astrophysicist and MacArthur Foundation scholar David Spergel; and Institute of Advanced Study theoretical physicist Edward Witten.

Elkins remained in town for a decade after retiring. “Princeton is a small university town that has its own, special personality,” he said. “The academic life, and the extraordinary number of people who are such amazing individuals, are remarkable.“

In Four Rabbis at Lunch, one Orthodox, two Conservative, and one Reformed rabbi (three male, one female) meet for lunch once a week to discuss problems they have in their congregations. It is a setting that Elkins knows well.

“Rabbis always consult with each other,” he said. “Especially now with social media and a list-serve for Conservative rabbis, I get 5 to 10 emails a day. The book deals with theology, Jewish law, congregational business, dealing with lay people, dealing with boards of directors, and things of that nature. I expect it to be a big hit.”