After serving two years as our interim Rabbi, Rabbi Gershon was recently elected our Senior Rabbi. Rabbi Gershon is a past President of the Rabbinical Assembly, the international organization of Conservative Rabbis. He has served on the boards of directors or advisory leadership committees of many major national Jewish organizations including the National Council of AIPAC, The Jewish Theological Seminary, Council of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, Mercaz USA and the Chancellor’s Rabbinic Cabinet of the Jewish Theological Seminary.
Rabbi Gershon is a Senior Rabbinic Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem and has been honored by Israel Bonds with The Israel Freedom Award for his tireless efforts and impassioned support of the State of Israel. He received the UJA Rabbinic Cabinet Leadership award for his visionary and outstanding leadership in the rabbinate.
Rabbi Gershon was raised in New Jersey and grew up in the Conservative Movement. He graduated with distinction from the Joint Program of the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) and Columbia University with degrees in Bible and Ancient Near-Eastern Languages. He received his Master’s in Jewish Studies and Rabbinic Ordination from JTS in 1987. In addition, he was the recipient of many academic awards.
Prior to coming to B’nai Israel, Rabbi Gershon served with distinction pulpits in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Southfield Michigan and Dallas, Texas.
Since joining CBI Rabbi Gershon has made an indelible impact on our Congregation through his warm outreach to our members, his inspiring sermons, dynamic teaching and creative leadership. The rabbi is a beach lover and foodie. He has three wonderful adult children, Benji, Eliana and Yoni
Cantor Greenberg began serving as Congregation B’nai Israel’s full-time Cantor and Youth Director in July 2020. Before that he also served as CBI’s Cantorial Intern during his last year of Cantorial Studies.
Cantor Greenberg completed his undergraduate studies at the Hartt School of Music (University of Hartford) where he earned a Bachelor of Music in classical voice and studied Hazzanut (cantorial music) with Cantor Sanford Cohn and completed course work through the Judaic Studies Department. During his college career, Cantor Greenberg was a Hillel board member, a Resident Assistant, and was involved in several other organizations on campus.
He then received his Cantorial Ordination and Master of Sacred Music at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he also had the opportunity to work as the Cantorial School admissions intern, a Nishma summer fellow, and President of the Cantorial Student Association.
Before arriving in Toms River, Cantor Greenberg worked with the following institutions/organizations: Congregation B’nai Tikvah in North Brunswick, NJ (summer student rabbi); Rutgers Hillel (clergy intern); Congregation Etz Hayim in Arlington, VA (High Holiday Hazzan and Hazzan-in-residence); Congregation Beth El in Bethesda, MD (cantorial intern); and Johns Hopkins Medicine (Chaplaincy Intern).
Cantor Greenberg is a faithful Baltimore sports fan and a die-hard Duke basketball supporter. He loves to swim, cycle, and play basketball and soccer. He is also an avid reader and his favorite TV show is The Office.
He hopes you will join him for services, programming of a wide variety, and all that this amazing community in Toms River has to offer!
