Rabbi Gershon Weissman will be honored by the congregation of The New Shul of the Conejo at a champagne brunch at 10:30 a.m. Sun., Feb. 12 at the Westlake Village Inn, 31943 Agoura Road.

The rabbi has served the Jewish community for more than 30 years. He was known as Rabbi Gary Johnson until 2006, when he legally changed his name to Weissman.

He served his first congregation as assistant rabbi and director of education in Brookline, Mass.

Weissman moved to California to join the Conservative movement and to serve as assistant rabbi with Rabbi Schulweis at Temple Valley Beth Shalom in Encino. Later he served as the rabbi at Ner Tamid in Simi Valley.

In 1988, Weissman became the rabbi at Temple Beth Haverim, where he led the congregation for 22 years until its closure in spring 2010 due to the economic climate.

To continue the Conservative tradition in the Agoura community, Weissman and a small group of families founded The New Shul in May 2010.

On July 1, he will become rabbi emeritus of The New Shul.

Weissman graduated from UC Santa Barbara before beginning his rabbinical studies at the Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles and Jerusalem. He attended the Hartman Yeshiva, an orthodox seminary, for two years while in Jerusalem.

Weissman completed his studies at the HUC-JIR New York campus, receiving a master’s degree in Hebrew literature and rabbinic ordination.

For ticket information for the gala, call (818) 991-7614.