Meet Our Interim Rabbi

Dear Congregation Berith Sholom Family,

I am very happy to be joining you as interim rabbi for the year to come. It is an honor and a pleasure to work with congregations as they take a moment to breathe before moving forward on the next step on their Jewish journey. I am even more gratified to be following in the footsteps of Rabbi Gordon, whom I greatly respect and have known for years—spending time together as camp faculty and in a social justice fellowship, as well as countless interactions along our careers. I know that Reb Deb has cared deeply for and will continue to be an important part of the CBS family. I view my role as a (very small) link in the chain of clergy; a trust which I take very seriously.

As an interim rabbi, I have two roles. The first is to provide for all of the rabbinic needs of the congregation—in pastoral care, worship, teaching, and the like. The second is to be a consultant, with a different perspective.  You may tire of hearing me ask, "Why?"—not because I am challenging long-held Temple practice, but because this is an opportunity to think anew about values and intent, and to move forward with ideals that match where the congregation is today and where it dreams it could be in the future.

I will be hybrid in this role—some weeks I will be physically present in Troy, and others working from my home in New Jersey.  However, I am your full-time rabbi and will be available to you as much as needed.  Feel free to reach out at any time via e-mail (rabbiabraham@berithsholomtroy.org) or phone (908.899.1239). Other than when I am on my day off or Shabbat, I will respond quickly, and we can correspond, phone, or Zoom.

I look forward to getting to know you and your families. My first Shabbat service will be on Friday, July 3, but I'll also be leading on July 10 for those who go away for the holiday weekend.  I have already had a chance to meet some of the Temple leadership and the Community School staff, and I am excited about the year to come.

From strength to strength,

Rabbi Joel N. Abraham