Rabbi Pitkowsky

Rabbi Joel Pitkowsky began his tenure at Congregation Beth Sholom in August 2011. Prior to that, he had served as rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel in Worcester, Mass., since 2003.

Rabbi Pitkowsky grew up in Fair Lawn. He holds a B.A. from Rutgers College with a double major in Hebraic Studies and History and received his rabbinic ordination and M.A. in Hebrew Letters from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 2001. He served as a military chaplain candidate in the United States Air Force, and, following ordination, as the assistant rabbi and Hebrew school principal of the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale, N.Y.

He is one of only 30 Conservative rabbis in the world certified to write gitin, Jewish divorce documents. He is a major Bruce Springsteen fan, loves to play tennis, hike, and camp. Rabbi Pitkowsky and his wife, Ingrid Goldfein, have two children, Jonah and Lili. To reach Rabbi Pitkowsky, e-mail him at rabbi@cbsteaneck.org or contact the synagogue office during regular business hours.

Cantor Ronit Wolff Hanan

of Beth Sholom’s High Holiday hazzanim, as co-conductor of the synagogue’s award-winning children’s chorus Tzipporei Shalom, as co-teacher of the popular Lunch & Leyn program for fifth graders, and as an integral part of the musical fabric of many of Beth Sholom’s programs for adults and children.

Born in Tel Aviv and raised in White Plains, New York, Ronit has been steeped in Jewish music since she was a child. She is also a veteran of musical comedies, revues, operettas, cabaret and jazz clubs in the U.S. and Israel, has produced pop songs and jingles for Israeli national radio, is the featured vocalist on numerous Jewish children’s recordings, and has recorded a solo CD entitled T’filateinu – Songs and Reflections for the High Holy Days. She is a singer and soloist with the Zamir Chorale and is the co-founder of the Bergen County chapter of HaZamir: the International Jewish High School Choir, which she now conducts.

Cantor Hanan holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from New York University and a Masters in Sacred Music from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, where she was invested as a Hazzan in 2012.

Ronit is the proud mother of two grown children, one a pre-school teacher and the other living in Israel having just finished serving with the IDF.

Cantor Hanan can be reached at musicdirector@cbsteaneck.org.

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Whitney Blom

Whitney’s vast experience in a variety of Jewish non-profits, ranging from family foundations to institutions of higher learning, will offer our community depth, creativity and a particular understanding and perspective of the Jewish community. Most recently, Whitney served as the Director of Recruitment and Admissions at the Academies at Gerrard Berman Day School, in Oakland, NJ. Her savvy professionalism, combined with her enthusiasm, will enable Whitney to develop enriching programs for current members while reaching out to the greater Bergen County Jewish community and beyond.

Whitney earned her Master’s degree in Social Work from the Wurzweiler School and received her B.A. from the University of Massachusetts. She was a participant in the Rockwood Leadership Program and the Muehlstein Institute for Jewish Professional Leadership through UJA Federation of NY. Whitney and her husband, James, reside in Teaneck with their two sons, Benny and Izzy, and have been members of Beth Sholom for more than 10 years.

To contact Whitney, go to whitney@cbsteaneck.org

Synagogue Administrator Abby Rosen Finkel

Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Abby Finkel, our Synagogue Administrator grew up in a family entrenched in their Judaism, in synagogue life and in the larger Jewish community. Trained as a pharmacist, she worked in the industry, until meeting her husband, Mark. After years as a volunteer in the Jewish community in Nashua, NH, Abby pursued a Masters’ Degree from the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program at Brandeis University. Before coming to Congregation Beth Sholom, Abby worked at Golda Och Academy, Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies, and the Mayyim Hayyim Community Mikveh an Education Center.

She currently resides in Pine Brook, with her husband, and their three children.In what little spare time Abby has, she enjoys reading, music, theater and needlepoint.

To contact Abby, go to abby@cbsteaneck.org

Director Youth Engagement Sara Loffman

Spending most of her childhood in Teaneck, NJ, Sara Loffman, our Director of Youth Engagement embodies a deep connection to Judaism, community, and ruach. Sara attended the Solomon Schechter Day School of Bergen County from 3rd to 8th grade, became a high school graduate of The Frisch School, and most recently graduated from Binghamton University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Human Development. Not only has Sara been a counselor for several years at Ramah Canada (where she spent 13 summers), she has also been helping out at Beth Sholom for almost a decade. Sara has worked with several of our children’s minyanim over the years and continues to work in tandem with kids of all ages through her experiences at the shul, camp, tutoring, etc. Sara looks forward to enhancing the lives of our shul’s youth through her enthusiasm, planning and organizational skills, empathy, positive energy, and cooperation with various committees. Contact Sara at youth@cbsteaneck.org

Rabbi Emeritus Kenneth Berger

Rabbi Kenneth Berger served as spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Sholom 1979-2009 and now serves with distinction as Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Beth Sholom. In 2010 he relocated to Chicago, his hometown.

Rabbi Berger received his Rabbinic ordination and the degree of Doctor of Hebrew Literature in Jewish Liturgy from the Jewish Theological Seminary. He served as a part-time member of the faculty at the Seminary for many years, teaching courses in liturgy and in the Rabbinical School’s Seminar program. He has also served as a mentor to Rabbinical students in the Seminary’s internship program.

While in Teaneck, Rabbi Berger was active in community affairs. He was a Past President of the Teaneck Clergy Council, the North Jersey Board of Rabbis, and was a member or chair of several Rabbinical Assembly Committees. He is an honorary member of the Board of Trustees of the Solomon Schechter Day School of Bergen County, and served on the Board and Executive Committee of UJA Federation of Northern New Jersey. He was a member of the Chancellor’s Rabbinic Cabinet at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and served as chairman of the Rabbinic Campaign on behalf of the Seminary, the Masorti Movement, and Makhon Schechter. He is also a recipient of the Seminary’s Rabbi Simon Greenberg Award for Rabbinic Achievement.

Since moving to Chicago, Rabbi Berger has taught at the Spertus Institute for Jewish Studies, at Limmud Chicago, and in his synagogue’s Adult Education program. He is currently working on a book based upon his research into the history of the liturgy on Ashkenaz in the medieval and early modern periods.

Rabbi Berger and his wife, Cheryl, have three grown children – Jonathan, Ari, and Rachel –  four granddaughters and three grandsons.