Rabbi Rebecca Pomerantz Shinder has been the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Shalom of Florida, New York since July, 2005. Rabbi Shinder was ordained by the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in 2000 and has served a variety of congregations both before and after her ordination. As a student, Rabbi Shinder served as the Cantor of the Reform Temple of Suffern, in Rockland County, and Temple B’nei Israel of Laconia, New Hampshire as its sole spiritual leader. For five years, she served Temple Sinai of Bergen County in Tenafly, New Jersey as the Assistant and Associate Rabbi.
Rabbi Shinder’s rabbinate has been enriched by her devotion to Jewish music as a singer and guitarist, as well as her passion for social justice. These qualities were first honed at the Union for Reform Judaism’s Kutz Camp Institute in Warwick and later refined at the University of Rochester where she majored in Religion and studied Classical Voice at the Eastman School of Music. The rabbi is a former Co-Director of the Soup Kitchen run at the Reform Seminary and has brought many meaningful projects to her former congregations including Yom Kippur Food Drives and the preparation of care packages for U.S. Soldiers in Iraq. In the Fall of 2005, she spearheaded the congregation’s participation in the U.R.J. Jacob’s Ladder program to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Rabbi Shinder is Temple Beth Shalom’s Rabbi, Cantor, and Director of Education. This full docket enables her to work with literally all arms of the temple family tree. From various Family Education programming, to tutoring B’nei Mitzvah students of all ages, to providing grief and crisis counseling, to teaching Adult Education, to working with the Board of Trustees, Rabbi Shinder’s vision, spirit, and voice are key components of the religious, educational, and social programs of Temple Beth Shalom. All programs are enhanced by the rabbi’s vision to cultivate a place of respect and honor for the non-Jewish spouses and parents who are a part of the congregational family.
Rabbi Shinder’s work has extended beyond her own congregations’ as she has served as a member of the Orange County Board of Rabbis, Warwick and Florida Interfaith Clergy Associations, and The Women’s Rabbinic Network. She currently serves on the Reform Movement’s Commission for Worship and Religious Living. As an advocate for young adults, she has taught as a Dean and Faculty Member for our region of the North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY).
As a second-generation rabbi, in many ways Rabbi Shinder heard her call to the rabbinate by observing the inspirational work of her father, Rabbi Fredric S. Pomerantz. She has enjoyed re-creating Sim Shalom with her dad and has been the musical director and Cantorial presence of the service since her days as a rabbinical student.
Rabbi Shinder lives in Haworth, New Jersey with her husband, Larry, and their children Jeremy, Jacob, and Hannah.
Dr. Jeff Horowitz, a Warwick pediatrician joined 