About Me
I am the Rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel, in Northfield, NJ. I arrived in South Jersey in July 2022, coming from the United States Virgin Islands, where I served as rabbi of the Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas. [Letter to Congregation Beth Israel, February 15, 2022.] Prior to our time in the Virgin Islands, I served for sixteen years as the Senior Rabbi of Temple Shalom of Chevy Chase, Maryland. Before returning to Washington, close to where I had grown up, I was a rabbi in Boca Raton, Florida; Erie, Pennsylvania; and Buffalo, New York.
I help people find their own voice within the Jewish world. I believe that a Jewish community should be a place for openness, for inclusiveness, welcoming Jewish families in all the varied forms in which they come today. I shape a space of energy and engagement and ideas, a place where 'a thousand flowers bloom.'
I am a Senior Rabbinic Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute of Jerusalem, Israel. I have been blessed to learn and work with teachers and colleagues from all streams of Jewish life. I participated in the development of online outreach, through "Ask a Rabbi" responses for the Union for Reform Judaism, Moment Magazine, and in the early days of America Online.
My publications and articles include:
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"Obedience to Which Commander?: An Examination of a Jewish Soldier's Right to Disobey Immoral Orders" (with Rabbi Peter Schaktman)
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"In God's Image: Judaism and Homosexuality"
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"A Name for Ourselves: Infertility, Meaning and Hope"
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"In Every Generation: A Jewish Approach to Genetic Research, Testing and Screening, and Gene Therapy".
I am married to Julie Novick.
We have three children: Benjamin, Daniel and Talia.
Education
HEBREW UNION COLLEGE-JEWISH INSTITUTE OF RELIGION
Jerusalem, Israel; Cincinnati, OH and New York, NY
M.A.H.L (Cincinnati).
Rabbinic Ordination (New York).
D.D.H.C. (Doctor of Divinity honoris causa)
BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY – Waltham, MA
Graduate School, Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies:
Biblical Studies.
HAVERFORD COLLEGE – Haverford, PA
B.A. in English and Creative Writing.
HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM – Jerusalem, Israel
Rothberg International School: Undergraduate Study Abroad Program.