Professional Staff
Photo by Story of Life Photography
Rabbi Joel Pitkowsky believes that community building, a commitment to inclusion, and an emphasis on the three pillars of Jewish tradition-Torah study, prayer and acts of loving kindness, help define a Jewish community. Together with the membership of Beth Sholom, Rabbi Pitkowsky hopes to nurture a community that inspires and enriches the lives of its members, while at the same time caring deeply about our greater Teaneck community and remaining committed to the State of Israel.
Rabbi Pitkowsky began his tenure at Congregation Beth Sholom in August, 2011. Prior to that, he was the rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel in Worcester, MA, where he served for eight years. Rabbi Pitkowsky grew up in Fair Lawn, NJ, and holds degrees from Rutgers College and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He served as a military chaplain candidate in the United States Air Force, and was the assistant rabbi at the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel in Riverdale, NY.
Rabbi Pitkowsky is one of 30 Conservative rabbis in the world certified to write Gitin, Jewish divorce documents. He serves as Chairperson of the Board of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, serves on the Board of Directors of Camp Young Judaea Sprout Lake, and is a Senior Rabbinic Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Israel.
Rabbi Pitkowsky and his wife, Ingrid Goldfein, have two children, Jonah and Lili.
Rabbi Pitkowsky is excited to be in touch with you. To reach Rabbi Pitkowsky, e-mail him at rabbi@cbsteaneck.org or contact him at 201-833-2620.
Photo by Sandy Gotlib Photography
Rabbi Louis Polisson is thrilled to be joining Congregation Beth Sholom as Associate Rabbi.
Originally from New Haven, Connecticut, Rabbi Polisson earned his B.A. in Classical Studies from Brandeis University, where he met his wife Gabriella Feingold in a co-ed Jewish a cappella group. He received rabbinic ordination and an M.A. in Jewish Thought, focusing on Kabbalah and Ḥasidut, from the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in May 2018. As a Gladstein Fellow in Entrepreneurial Rabbinic Leadership, he previously served as Rabbi of Congregation Eitz Chaim of Monroe, NY and as Rabbinic Intern at Temple Israel Center of White Plains, NY.
Rabbi Polisson has taught in an array of Jewish educational settings, cultivating in all ages an understanding and love of Judaism. He has served as an educator at Jewish organizations, camps, and Hebrew schools across the Northeast.
Rabbi Polisson is a musician and a composer, and has studied klezmer and world Jewish music with such luminaries as Alicia Svigals, Cantor George Mordecai, and Joey Weisenberg. In 2018, he was awarded a grant from the Hadar Institute to record and produce an album of original Jewish and spiritual songs with his wife, Gabriella Feingold.
Rabbi Polisson studies and teaches Jewish meditation and spiritual practices and is passionate about connecting people to Judaism, Jewish community, and the Divine. He understands the power of relational community organizing and the importance of relationship-building, which is central to his work as a rabbi.
Rabbi Polisson recently concluded five years of service as the Rabbi of Congregation Or Atid in Wayland, MA, a small Conservative synagogue 15 miles west of Boston. He plans to remain a Red Sox and Celtics fan. He and his spouse Gabriella are the proud parents of Asher Feingold Polisson, who was born in November 2019.
Contact Rabbi Polisson at rabbipolisson@cbsteaneck.org
Photo by Story of Life Photography
Whitney Blom, our Engagement Director, began her tenure with Beth Sholom in the summer of 2018, as our Director of Famiy and Youth Programs. She has vast experience in a variety of Jewish non-profits, ranging from family foundations to institutions of higher learning. She offers 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, enables 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 reach Whitney, email her at whitney@cbsteaneck.org.
Photo by Story of Life Photography
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Abby Rosen 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 reach Abby, email her at abby@cbsteaneck.org.
Thu, September 21 2023
6 Tishrei 5784
