AUBURN — A few weeks ago while biking to work, Rabbi Sruli Dresdner passed a sign for a charity fundraiser.

He asked his new congregants, “What do you think?”

Instead of a Saturday morning service at Temple Shalom, he suggested they gather at the Geiger Elementary School for the Margaret Murphy Center 5K Trot for Autism.

Being the new rabbi in town, he wasn’t sure what to expect. But 20 people showed up.

They walked. They trotted.

“I didn’t want to impose it on people,” Dresdner, 53, said. “It turned out to be enthusiastically received, and people got it.”

He arrived six weeks ago to head the Temple Shalom Synagogue Center, its new leader after Rabbi Hillel Katzir left in June. Dresdner is ready to mix with the community and getting to know the 90 or so families that make up his congregation.

He explored a half-dozen synagogues before moving his family from New Jersey.

“The people here were by far the nicest, warmest and most spiritual,” he said. “(I) got a sense the people … liked each other, worked well together. I can’t tell you how many times they told me, ‘We want you to be you.'”

Part of being himself is being in a family band. Dresdner plays clarinet. And, sometimes, the drums and accordion — at the same time.

He co-fronts a Klezmer band, playing traditional Jewish music with his wife, Lisa Mayer. The pair perform American folk under the name Hoot ‘n’ Annie.

They grew up in New York and have been performing together for 15 years.

Dresdner, whose first name is pronounced “sroo-lee,” earned a bachelor’s degree from the Denver Talmudic Seminary in 1982 and graduated from Fordham Law School, working as a lawyer for several years.

Before arriving at Temple Shalom, he was at a synagogue in North Bergen, N.J., for two years. He worked part time at synagogue in Rockland County, N.Y., for 15 years before that.

The couple bought a home in Auburn this summer. Their 5-year-old twins, son Johnny and daughter Charlie, will start kindergarten at Park Avenue this fall.

Mayer talks happily about having planted blueberry bushes and a peach tree in their yard and about getting out to explore the state.

“Maine is just spectacularly beautiful — we’re trying to enjoy every minute,” she said. “There’s something very nice about the thought of raising our kids in a town like this. I’m delighted.”

Dresdner said he hopes to stay for a long time.

“We’ll have our double bat and bar mitzvah here in eight years,” Mayer said.

The temple has regular services at 7 a.m. Thursdays and at 9:30 a.m. Saturdays.  They plan to include a lot of music on Saturdays.

When the family band is in full swing, Mayer’s sons, Zachary, 24, and Aaron, 19, play baritone saxophone and piano, respectively. Dresdner’s daughter, Ilana, 20, plays bass guitar.

Mayer plays the violin and sings in Yiddish.

“We play some wacky instruments,” Mayer said. “He plays a saw, like for real — with the teeth and everything.”

They’re scheduled to perform Friday night at a welcoming dinner at the temple.

There’s an event for children at 5:30 p.m., a dinner at 6 p.m. and a musical shabbat at 7 p.m., all open to the public.

“We’re hoping we’ll bring Jewish music to the community in a big way,” he said.

Used to the big city, it’s the first time Dresdner’s had a job where he’s been able to bike to work.

“We’ll see how long that lasts in the snow,” he said. “At sunset, the trees are reflected in the river. It’s beautiful.”

kskelton@sunjournal.com

The Temple Shalom Synagogue Center in Auburn will hold an event welcoming new Rabbi Sruli Dresdner and his family Friday night that’s open to the public. Programming for children is planned for 5:30 p.m., dinner for 6 p.m. and Dresdner’s family band will perform at 7 p.m.

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