I am a rabbi who likes to have out-of-office experiences.  I feel at home in the synagogue, and my priority is to create holy spaces that welcome others into community and Jewish tradition. Yet I am just as likely to be found organizing a Torah study with congregants in a coffee shop, leading a reflective prayer during a hike through the forest or singing around the campfire with kids.  For both my own spiritual journey and for those I teach, I believe Judaism needs to open us up to the world, and sometimes even be an adventure.

My work has taken me many places.  For many years I was a rabbi and educator at Temple Beth Israel in Eugene, Oregon and have also been blessed with the opportunity to serve as spiritual leader in Conservative and Reconstructionist congregations in Florida, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.  I have been a  songleader and music teacher at various camps and synagogue supplementary schools, a nursing home chaplain and a university Jewish student advisor.  Before moving to Montreal, I was the rabbi of Beit Polska, the Union of Progressive Congregations in Poland, where I led a multi-congregational community working to help rebuild Jewish life in Central Europe.  Currently I am the rabbi of Congregation Dorshei Emet, in Montreal, one of the first Reconstructionist synagogues and the first in Canada.

I am a graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, and hold an M.A. in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary, where I focused my studies on informal and community education, and worked as an educator at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, a Living Museum of the Holocaust.

As a musician, I infuse my services and programs with music from the different denominations and from various cultures and world communities, creating participatory, joy-filled prayer experiences for all ages.  As a professional storyteller, I bring renditions of classic Jewish folktales to various communities and library programs, and always love to tell, and hear, a good story.  (Have I told you the one about the baker from Minsk?  Well, one day he dreamt that he was a chicken, and you wouldn’t believe what happened next!)

I am passionate about helping to create participatory and holistic Jewish communities, where learning is intergenerational and a part of Jewish life both inside and outside of the synagogue.  I work to ensure that all people with a Jewish connection, including the unaffiliated, interfaith and questioning, find ways to connect to and learn from our tradition and see the importance of community in an ever changing world.  I enjoy helping others through the journey of life, and approach all pastoral encounters with compassion and an understanding that we are all on a search for connection and meaning.

I am an avid runner, and run semi-competitively, but mostly for the athletic and spiritual joy.  I am proud to say that in every race, I have always finished as the first rabbi in my age group!

I am married to Sarah Dolin, an Judaica artist and community leader.  Sarah’s pottery focuses on Judaica and inclusive ritual objects that reflect liberal Jewish values.  Sarah’s pottery is often chosen by families with whom I work to beautify lifecycle events and create family heirlooms.

You can find more information about her work at her website.

We have three children, Elijah, Ezra and Nehama who enjoy teaching us about the meaning of life and how to find blessings in every moment.  

I look forward to meeting you!