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Well, that and to hang 10.
Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, near the famed Bondi Beach, Moldovan picked up surfing in his teens and is hopeful he can catch a wave somewhere near his new Fairfield County home.
“Whenever I had a chance, I would go body surfing,” he said recently. “I love it.
“For Australians, your dream is to be on the beach.”
Surfing aside, Moldovan realized he was called to become a rabbi when he was 24. He had been working as a bookkeeper and financial analyst after earning a commerce degree from the University of New South Wales.
“I felt I had much more to do for the Jewish people,” said the father of three.
Moldovan traveled to Jerusalem, where, for 11 years, he attended Yeshivas Ohr Somayach, the Mir Yeshivah and The Jerusalem Kollel, studying a wide range of religious topics as well as character development. He became qualified as a sofer, a scribe who can transcribe religious texts, and as a supervisor of the kosher preparation of food, among other things.
The rabbi, whose wife Hadassah hails from Kansas City and Denver, began looking for positions in Australia, England and the United States.
After meeting with members of Ahavath Achim, he decided the Stratfield Road congregation, which has about 80 members, was a good match.
“I think this is most suitable for me,” he said. “It’s a small congregation at the moment, but there are a lot of level-headed people here. I want to bring more people back.”
Ahavath Achim is a modern Orthodox congregation, which abides strictly by Jewish law “but is living and performing in the real world,” Moldovan said. In his first few weeks, Moldovan started classes on the teachings of the Torah and Jewish law. His wife hopes to put together a women’s group, and they would like to offer more social activities, such as sabbath meals.
Barbara Tuckel, the synagogue’s president, said Moldovan is a great fit for Ahavath Achim.
“First and foremost, he came across as a humble, kind, sociable human being,” she said.
She’s not sure how to break it to him that Long Island Sound isn’t quite as gnarly as Bondi Beach.
“I told him there’s not too much of a tide at Lake Mohegan!” she said.
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