Rabbi Josh (he/him) is originally from Rockland County, NY where he grew up in his synagogue volunteering in the religious school and singing in the junior choir. A creative type who is passionate about inclusion, Rabbi Josh is most excited when making the Jewish canon accessible to all ages, and is known to use magic tricks, puppetry, theatre, humor, and other art forms in his work as a Jewish educator. Rabbi Josh is passionate about supporting individuals in discovering their own unique Torah that can transform and better the world. Rabbi Josh attended the University of Hartford as an undergraduate, double majoring in Judaic Studies and History, with a minor in Gender Studies. Following graduation, he landed in Jerusalem and later New York City to continued his education at our Reform movement seminary, the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion. While at HUC-JIR, he spent time working with children and adults of all ages and stages, working in congregations, college campuses, and Jewish camps from Massachusetts to Florida. He most recently served as the Rabbinic-Education Intern and Inclusion Coordinator at Union Temple of Brooklyn; the Education intern at Brooklyn Heights Synagogue; the rabbinic intern at Congregation Sha’are Shalom in Waldorf, MD; and as the rabbinic intern at Temple Beth Am in Monessen, PA. Rabbi Josh is a proud “Pioneer Staff Member” at URJ 6 Points Sci-Tech Academy, co-creating camp in its first year; and most recently founded Wrestling with Torah, a radically inclusive online Jewish learning community. Rabbi Josh earned his M.A. in Hebrew Literature from HUC-JIR in 2020, his M.A. in Religious Education in 2021, and was ordained a rabbi in 2021. In Rabbi Josh’s spare time, he loves experimenting in the kitchen, likes to paint and get creative, and hang out with his pet parrot Charlie.
