Rabbi Richard Chapin
Rabbi Chapin was ordained at Hebrew Union College in 1976 and received his Doctorate of Hebrew Letters from that institution in 1990. Before moving to Florida, Rabbi Chapin served Congregation Emanuel and the Greenwich Reform Synagogue. Rabbi Chapin is the author of The Biblical Personality (1999) and enjoys teaching the subjects of Biblical Hebrew and American-Jewish Literature.
Rabbi Alan Cohen
Rabbi Cohen, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, was a congregational rabbi for 40 years before his retirement after 20+ year as the spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Shalom in Kansas City, in 2012. In his 10 years as a resident of Boynton Beach, he has continued his active life in study, teaching adult ed, serving as a volunteer chaplain with PBSO. He has also been the rabbi for the High Holidays at First Hebrew Congregation of South Haven Michigan for 10 years.
Jan Courte
Jan received a Bachelor’s Degree from San Francisco State University in Jewish Studies. She also studied at Hebrew University, the Fuchsberg Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem, and Chochmat HaLev in Berkeley. After relocating to South Florida in 2006, she has been involved in synagogue ritual, spiritual and educational life at Temple Torah Emet of Boynton Beach. She was a Hospice Chaplain and leads services in various independent living facilities and various congregations.
Josh Gorfinkle
Josh is a graduate of Brown University. But his Jewish education is more attributable to his attendance at two modern Orthodox days schools: Westchester Day School (Mamaroneck, NY) and the Ramaz Upper School (New York, NY). For 16 years, Josh served as Cantor for Ohel Ayalah, a Jewish community and outreach organization founded and led by prominent Conservative Rabbi Judith Hauptman.
Rabbi Howard Hoffman
Rabbi Hoffman is the Rabbi Emeritus of North Shore Jewish Center and a past president of the Retired Rabbis Association. Born in Toronto, he served congregations in London, Ontario and Chomedey Laval, Quebec after completing his education at Columbia University, JTS and the Hebrew University. His interests include Interfaith Dialogue, Chassidic Literature, Jewish mysticism, Jewish music and astronomy. He has participated in the ‘Re-Imagine, Synagogue 2000’ and is a regular attendee at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.
Dr. Stanley Isser
Dr. Isser, received a PhD from Columbia University in ancient history. He taught at and was the Chair of the Judaic Studies department at State University of New York Albany Campus for most of his academic career. His fields of interest were the Biblical and Greco-Roman periods. A member of Temple Torat Emet, Dr. Isser reads Torah frequently on Shabbat and Yom Tovim.
Howard Lynne
Howard is a graduate of Hunter College of the City of NY. After retirement from IBM, Howard shared his expertise with USCJ as an Executive Director and then with his local JCC. He has taught at various civic and community venues.
Dr. Oliver Klapper
Oliver graduated from Brooklyn College before going on to receive both a Master’s Degree and Doctorate in Higher Education at Columbia University. A professor at Kingsborough Community College (45 years), he hosted his own Cable Television Show on BCAT (Brooklyn Cable Access Television), where he interviewed politicians and academicians. Oliver was an elected member of the NYC District 22 School Board.
Dr. Avi Merav
Avi was born in 1940, in Tel-Aviv, Palestine, to pioneer parents who came from Czechoslovakia in 1934. Avi studied Medicine in Switzerland where he also worked as a country doctor. After an Internship at Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC, Avi married Susie Bier and both returned to Israel where Avi served in the IDF, as a paratrooper in the Six-Day War. The Meravs returned to NYC where Avi trained and practiced as a Cardiothoracic surgeon.
Janet Skulnick
Janet is a member of Temple Torat Emet and the ADJLC steering committee. She has been involved in Hebrew Education, touching the lives of students of all ages (including adults), for more than 30 years. Before relocating to Florida, Janet was the Hebrew School Educational Director at her synagogue in Kalamazoo Michigan for 20 years.
Rabbi Debra Smith
Reb Deb is the founder and spiritual leader of the Or ha Lev Jewish Renewal Community in Morris County, N.J. . The major focus of her work is in multi-faith education and outreach, providing education programs to build bridges of understanding among faith traditions. She is a licensed clinical social worker and the editor of several books including Every Tallit Tells a Tale (2005). In addition she teaches at DOROT, the University Without Walls (NYC), as well as at ALEPH: the Alliance for Jewish Renewal. She and her husband, Dr. Neil Smith, have recently relocated to Boynton Beach.
Claudia Warter
Claudia grew up in Israel. She graduated from A. D. Gordon Teachers College in Haifa. After coming to the United States, she continued her studies earning both a Master’s Degree in Judaic Studies and a Degree in Administration and Supervision from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. She has taught in Jewish Day Schools as well as Adult Education Programs.
Helene Yentis
Helene has over 30 years of experience as an Art Historian and Expert on Jewish Art of all periods and places. She has an M.A. in Art History and Judaic Studies from the University of Chicago. Her diverse background includes: presentations on art history; curating exhibitions in museums, galleries and rare book libraries; leading tours of private collections and historical sites; developing collegiate level college curriculum; and researching and cataloging private collections.
Faculty Emeritus
Rabbi Anthony Fratello
Rabbi Fratello, Temple Shaarei Shalom, graduated from Pomona College in 1994 with a BA in History, and then began his studies toward the Rabbinate at the Jerusalem Campus of the Hebrew Union College. He continued his studies at the Cincinnati campus of HUC-JIR in 1995. Rabbi Fratello earned his MA in Hebrew Letters from the Hebrew Union College in 1998 and was ordained as a Rabbi in June 1999. Rabbi Fratello has served as a member of the Board of the Mandel Jewish Community Center of the Palm Beaches and the Friedman Commission for Jewish Education.
Rabbi Howard Shub
Rabbi Shub, recently retired from Temple Beth Tikvah, was born in Toronto, Canada. He earned his BA in Jewish History at Yeshiva University, NY, earned his MA in Contemporary Jewry at Hebrew University, Jerusalem Israel, and was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he also earned an MA in Jewish Education. He is currently working on his PhD in Jewish History and Jewish Education at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.