Professional Staff

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.

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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.

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Yoni Shear is from Philadelphia, PA and is very excited to be joining the Beth Sholom community as the Youth Engagement Coordinator. Yoni served as the Regional Director for Hagesher Region USY and has taught in three previous Jewish Day Schools, the Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School in Chicago, IL, The Carmel Academy in Greenwich, CT and The Rockwern Academy in Cincinnati, OH. He spent two years living in Israel while completing the Pardes Educators Program where he focused on Tanakh studies and Jewish History while earning a Masters Degree in Jewish Education from Hebrew College. In addition, Yoni was instrumental in developing and launching the Ramah Sports Academy, the newest Ramah overnight camp. Yoni completed his undergraduate work at the University of Kansas, majoring in Athletic Training. He’s a lover of all athletics and is especially enthusiastic when it comes to Philadelphia and KU sports teams.

To reach Yoni, email him at youth@cbsteaneck.org.