By:Jesse Sherer
"I had two options with my life when getting degrees so I planned for both," said Rabbi Muskat, who earned his Juris Doctorate from New York University in 1997, the same year he earned smicha from Yeshiva University.
An attorney for four and half years at the firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson in New York, his desire to become a community rabbi won out as the more rewarding career path for him, and he has come to a pulpit on the South Shore. (He opted to pursue a rabbinical position in the United States because there are not many openings for community rabbis in Israel.)
"I decided I'd rather be a rabbi," said Muskat. "Both [becoming a rabbi or making aliyah] were religious goals. It was really a value judgment. I was very involved in Jewish activities in college, and I decided being a rabbi would be more fulfilling. It really is the struggle of every Zionist Jew, 'do I make aliyah or do I stay in the United States if there is an open position?'"
The position of pulpit rabbi with the responsibility and leadership that comes with it always appealed to him.
"I simply like God and the Jewish people," said Rabbi Muskat. "I think a successful rabbi cares about his community. I really wanted to make a difference. If someone needs guidance or help I feel I can help them. I also want to help create a strong community with Torah-true values."
Rabbi Muskat replaced Rabbi Jay Yaacov Schwartz, who moved out of the area, three months ago and in that short time feels very welcome. "The people are so warm," said Rabbi Muskat. "My living room looks like a botanical garden because so many people sent me flowers when I first got here."
Born in Chicago in 1972, Rabbi Muskat moved to Toronto when he was 4. He comes from an impressive academic background, graduating from Yeshiva University in 1994 with a bachelors' degrees in Jewish studies and speech/drama. He also received a master's in medieval Jewish literature from YU at the same time.
He graduated magna cum laude and was a fellow in the Katz Kollel for Advanced Talmudic Studies.
Rabbi Muskat studied in Yeshivat Sha'alvim in Israel for a year and a half prior to law school and rabbinical school.
He spent two years as a rabbi in Los Angeles where he was active in creating new programming and attracting new members.
According to Michael Samter, president of the Young Israel of Oceanside, the search for a new rabbi started in January of this year; a number of applicants were interviewed. The applicant pool was narrowed down to four people; Muskat received an overwhelming response.
"For one thing he came from an interesting background and was a wonderful speaker," said Samter. "He had great experience in both the rabbinical world and the real world. We though he would be great at attracting new people and making the synagogue move in the right direction."
Rabbi Muskat is married to Dr. Yael Muskat, a clinical psychologist, and has four children. He already has big plans for the congregation, including creating a scholar-in-residence program and increasing the amount of study and youth groups.
Already, a study group for young couples, made up of three groups of 10-15 couples, meets on Saturday nights to discuss contemporary issues.
This focus on young couples is very important to Rabbi Muskat, who wishes to attract more to the community. In the works with other congregations, is a brochure listing Oceanside's advantages to include the solid public schools, a clean and safe community and close proximity to area yeshivot.
Muskat added that he believes Oceanside is a wonderful place to live because it is a smaller and more closely-knit Jewish community, yet one with an infrastructure already in place to foster a thriving Jewish community, with kosher restaurants, mikvas and eruvs. Muskat, who thrives on academics, has pursued this love of teaching with a position at the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach's SKA High School for girls, where he teaches medieval Jewish history to juniors and an advanced Talmud class to seniors.
But above all, Muskat said he wants to know exactly what each member of his congregation wants from the shul and create an active lay leadership. He is holding weekly meetings to meet all 170 families of his congregation and allow them to get to know him as well.
"I want to be able to speak to everyone and see what they can do for the shul," said Rabbi Muskat. "A shul means different things to different people. A rabbi cannot do it alone. There is a strong relationship between a successful rabbi and a successful lay leadership."
He also wants to continue the tradition of unity and strong working relations with other synagogues in Oceanside.
"I think unity is very important," he said. "It is important to stress who we are, but also important to create a single Jewish voice. The Oceanside Jewish community has a long history of this and I want to continue it."
