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Our Clergy

Our Clergy


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 is a past 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.

 

 

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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 in a co-ed Jewish a cappella group. He received rabbinic ordination and an M.A. in Jewish Thought, focusing on Kabbalah and H̀£asidut, 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.

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 

 
Tue, December 10 2024 9 Kislev 5785