Texas Jewish Post (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 64, No. 29, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 22, 2010 Page: 3 of 20
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TEXAS JEWISH POST SINCE 1947
July 22,2010 I 3
Rabbi Jay Weinstein to take reins at Orthodox N.J. shul
By Rachel Gross
When Rabbi Jay Weinstein came
to Dallas three years ago fresh out of
rabbinical school, he was anxious to
learn what it meant to be a rabbi. To-
day he has mastered that art and will
take his skills to the next level as a
head rabbi.
On Aug. 1, Weinstein will take
the reins as head rabbi of Young Is-
rael, the only Orthodox synagogue
in East Brunswick, N.J. He has been
the assistant rabbi at Congregation
Shaare Tefilla since 2007.
Since the beginning, Weinstein
has been involved with many as-
pects of the synagogue facilitating
lifecycle events and education, over-
seeing youth programs and building
relationships with congregants. He
also served as secretary and treasur-
er for the Rabbinical Association of
Greater Dallas during the past year.
Weinstein said he was attracted to
Shaare Tefilla because of the warmth
of the shul and the close-knit Dallas
Jewish community.
"It was the affection of the com-
munity and the interest in build-
ing the shul that attracted us," the
28-year-old said. "This was my first
real job and it was a good stepping
ground. I came in with a lot of op-
portunity and many activities to
take on, but Rabbi [Ari] Perl took
me under his wing and involved me.
It turned out to be successful."
He added that the highlight of his
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time in Dallas were the friendships
he's made along the way. Although
he and his wife, Sharon, and his chil-
dren Ora, 4, and Ayal, 1, are sad to
leave Dallas, they are excited to em-
bark on this journey together.
Weinstein grew up in Miami
Beach, Fla., graduated from Yeshiva
University's rabbinical seminary
and received ordination from Rabbi
Zalman Nechemiah Goldberg in
Jerusalem. He holds a bachelor's
degree in accounting from YU's Sy
Syms School of Business.
He received his master's degree
in special education and taught stu-
dents with disabilities at yeshiva day
schools and public schools in New
York; he said he has always enjoyed
working with children with special
needs. Shortly after coming to Dal-
las, Weinstein became the coordina-
tor of Dallas Yachad, which provides
Jewish programming to special
needs children.
"I came with resources to start
this program here and I found an ea-
gerness in the community to do it,"
he said. "Judaism teaches that every
person is important and it doesn't
depend on their unique abilities or
disabilities. We have an obligation to
find meaningful ways for everyone
to participate in the Jewish commu-
nity and that speaks to me."
Paige Rothstein, community
organizer for the Special Needs
Initiative, has worked closely with
Weinstein over the past year. She
believes he has been an asset and
many families have benefited from
his programs and ideas.
"I appreciated the way he was me-
thodical and inclusive in his think-
ing to make sure all of the goals
we are working towards were ad-
dressed," she said. "He kept an open
mind for this community and has
been progressive in what he brought
to the table. We are going to miss
him and his passion. He provided
opportunities for children with spe-
cial needs and opened people's eyes.
We are going to miss his passion."
Weinstein added that he hopes to
be involved with the special needs
community in East Brunswick even
though he will be busy from the
moment he arrives. His immediate
goals are to meet congregants, start
building relationships and reach out
to children.
He has already started to prepare
for the High Holy Days as well, and
said he looks forward to spending
the most powerful part of the year
with his new congregation. Wein-
stein believes the skills he developed
in Dallas and the mentors he had
will make his transition smooth.
"The members are excited to
help the synagogue and community
grow; this is an exciting opportu-
nity," he said. "I believe people are
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Photo: Submitted by
Rabbi Jay Weinstein
The Weinstein
family — Sha-
ron, Jay, Ora
and Ayal — will
be moving at
the end of July
to New Jersey,
where Rabbi
Weinstein will
become the
head rabbi at
Young Israel in
East Brunswick.
passionate about having young pro-
fessionals leading the community. I
don't have any illusion that I come
with all of the answers or know ev-
erything that has to be done, but I'll
look for guidance from my men-
tors, teachers and rabbis that I have
a close connection with; it will be a
growing experience together."
Weinstein said what he will
miss the most about Dallas are the
friendships he's made with other
rabbis across the religious spec-
trum and the synagogue families
he grew close to. The best part of
being a rabbi, he said, is playing an
integral role in people's lives.
"I love being able to engage a
family in dif-
ferent ways," he said. "I hope to in-
still a vision with [ the congregants]
of where we want the shul to go
and develop a community that will
continue to be a place of warmth.
I want to create an open-door re-
lationship so people feel comfort-
able talking to me, formally or in-
formally."
Shaare Tefilla Senior Rabbi Ari
Perl said, "Rabbi Weinstein had a
positive impact at Shaare Tefilla
and our broader lewish commu-
nity. It has been a pleasure for us
to participate in his development
as a talented rabbinic professional
and we wish him only the best as he
moves forward in his career."
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Wisch, Rene. Texas Jewish Post (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 64, No. 29, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 22, 2010, newspaper, July 22, 2010; Fort Worth, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth188302/m1/3/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .