The Board of Trustees of Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester has announced the hiring of Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe as its new Senior Rabbi effective July 1, 2014. Rabbi Jaffe will succeed Rabbi Joshua Davidson, who left Temple Beth El over the summer to become the Senior Rabbi at Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York. Interim Senior Rabbi Alan Fuchs will continue to lead the congregation until June.
Rabbi Jaffe will assume responsibility for a congregation of over 520 member families, with a growing Nursery School, a vibrant Religious School, and a commitment to innovative worship, lifelong learning and social justice.
He has served Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco as Rabbi since 2006. In 2010, he took on the oversight of the synagogue’s educational programming, from Preschool through adult education.
Jaffe was born in Hawaii where he was raised amid the multi-cultural backdrop of Honolulu. He received his BA in philosophy from Duke University and studied at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Before his ordination from Hebrew Union College, he served as the Education Director for URJ Camp Newman in Santa Rosa. He also pursued a pre-MBA career at Gap Inc. in San Francisco before realizing his true passion lay in teaching within the Jewish community.
He looks forward to becoming part of our Chappaqua community. As he stated at today’s congregational meeting, “this is the optimal opportunity for me and my family – to work with the clergy and the families at Temple Beth El.”
According to Temple Beth El president, Lisa Davis, “with his intellect, spirituality, and warm, engaging personality, Rabbi Jaffe energized the (search) committee and the board in a way we only imagined possible. We are confident that he is the right person to lead Temple Beth El into a bright, exciting future.”
