Rabbi Sharon L. Sobel began an 18-month leadership role early this month as the Interim Senior Rabbi of Temple Beth Zion (TBZ).   Rabbi Sobel was ordained from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York in 1989.  The daughter of a Reform rabbi (Rabbi Richard J. Sobel, z״l, from Glens Falls, NY), she most recently served as the Synagogue Initiative Director for AIPAC, New England, and previously, served as Executive Director of the Union for Reform Judaism’s Canadian Council for Reform Judaism and ARZA Canada.

“We are incredibly excited to have Rabbi Sobel at our helm,” said David Goldberg, TBZ President. “She comes to our community with a set of skills and experience to help us carry out our mission and better serve our membership.”  “In only a matter of weeks, Rabbi Sobel has met a large number of congregants,” added TBZ Executive Director Jeff Clark.  “She is on board with our efforts to create fun new ways to engage our members and build on our growing sense of community.  The Rabbi is also adding her own touches to TBZ traditions by bringing beautiful new images into our virtual services and new melodies for our familiar prayers.”

Rabbi Sobel been recognized for her writing, teaching, lectures, and workshops all over North America. She has extensive training in leadership development, long-range and strategic planning, organizational behavior, and working with congregations in transition. Rabbi Sobel served congregations in Massachusetts, New York, Chicago and Toronto. Her philosophy echoes that of Dr. Ron Wolfson, who states in his book, Relational Judaism: “What really matters is that we care about the people we seek to engage. When we genuinely care about people, we will not only welcome them, we listen to their stories, we will share ours, and we will join together to build a Jewish community that enriches our lives.”

“We are grateful to have Rabbi Sobel with us over the next year and half,” concluded Dave Goldberg. “We are all excited to see what we can accomplish together!”