CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — Rabbi Victor Urecki with the B’nai Jacob Synagogue announced on Wednesday that he will be stepping down from his role as Rabbi in 2025.

He has been with the synagogue since March 1986, Rabbi Urecki posted on Facebook.

“[My wife and I] never dreamed that my only job interview and that two-year contract would forever change our lives and shape our life’s journey in ways we could scarcely have imagined almost 40 years later,” Rabbi Urecki said on Wednesday.

He said he would like to continue to stay in Charleston and be a part of the congregation, and help them “in the years to come.”

“I cannot express in one letter what these many years have given us, but I know that between now and 2025, I will have sermons and thoughts that will try to capture some of the emotions I feel today for this synagogue and all of you,” he said.

Rabbi Urecki has been a staple in the Charleston community. He is also a regular on WOWK’s “Inside West Virginia Politics.” He has been featured on our yearly Holiday special, where Mark Curtis talks to various religious leaders.

You can listen to Urecki talk about the message of Hanukkah by clicking here.