Our Clergy and Staff
The clergy and staff at Temple Emanu-El is made up of 12 dedicated, passionate individuals. We strive to bring a joyful, welcoming experience to everyone who steps through Temple Emanu-El’s doors. Together we make up the synagogue’s clergy, as well as executive, programming, marketing, and maintenance staff. We’re here to provide guidance, information, and answer any questions you may have.
David-Seth Kirshner
Rabbi
David-Seth Kirshner is the rabbi of Temple Emanu-El, where he is entering his 18th year of leadership.
Prior to joining Temple Emanu-El, Rabbi Kirshner worked at the Jewish Theological Seminary as Senior Director of Institutional Advancement.
In addition to building and strengthening Temple Emanu-El, Rabbi Kirshner is involved in the community at-large and holds many positions of leadership.
Rabbi Kirshner is the past president of the New York Board of Rabbis and past president of the NJ Board of Rabbis. He was selected among 50 rabbis to participate in the inaugural class of the Kellogg School of Rabbinic Management at Northwestern University. He is an adjunct faculty member at the Academy for Jewish Religion (AJR) where he teaches rabbinical and cantorial students. In 2013, Rabbi Kirshner was appointed to the New Jersey-Israel Commission by Governor Chris Christie and was re-appointed in 2018, by Governor Phil Murphy. Rabbi Kirshner holds a seat on the Executive Committee of the JFNA. Since 2009, Rabbi Kirshner has served on the National Council of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and in 2013, he graduated as a Senior Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Rabbi Kirshner is the author of Streams of Shattered Consciousness: A Chronicle of the first 50 days of the Israel-Hamas War. It has more than 10,000 copies in circulation and earned mention in the February 2024, NY Times Book Review.
Rabbi Kirshner has written articles for many media sources and is regularly published in the Jewish Standard, the Bergen Record, Haaretz, The Times of Israel, The Huffington Post and the New York Times and has been featured on national radio and television programs including Good Morning America, CBS, CNBC, WABC, WNBC, NPR, The Last Word, with Laurence O’Donnell Nightline, MSNBC, Al Jazeera, and Faith to Faith.
Rabbi Kirshner holds a BA degree from York University in Toronto, Canada and earned an MA in Hebrew Letters and rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Rabbi Kirshner is married to Dori Frumin Kirshner. They have two children.
Israel Singer
Cantor
Cantor Israel Singer has served as the cantor of Temple Emanu-El of Closter, NJ since 1989 (formerly Temple Emanu-El of Englewood, NJ).
He also served in the prestigious Great Synagogues of Tel Aviv & Ramat Gan, Israel, as well as a guest cantor of the Great Synagogue in Jerusalem.
Cantor Singer started his singing career as a soloist of the prestigious Israel Defense Force Choir. Since then he appeared on concert stages, radio, and T.V. shows in Israel, Europe, the U.S., and Canada.
Among the highlights of his career are: singing in Gan Sacker, Jerusalem, in front of fifty thousand people; in a production of the Brooklyn Lyric Opera; in various productions of the NY Jewish Theatre; and onstage at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center.
He also sang at the inauguration of Governor Christie Whitman of NJ and the Jerusalem 3000 Celebration hosted by Governor George Pataki and Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Cantor singer produced the albums In your Name, The Angel’s Dance, Av Harachamin, Call The Shabbat A Delight, and My Coolest Aliya.
Cantor Singer contributed to Dr. Mordechai Sobol’s albums of Karlibach compositions and The Best of Melave Malka, and his repertoire includes Jewish music as well as Broadway tunes and opera.
Jeremy Ruberg
Rabbi for Lifelong Learning
Rabbi Jeremy Ruberg is the Rabbi for Lifelong Learning at Temple Emanu-El. In this role, he oversees all educational programming at the synagogue, from early childhood through senior learning. He directs the Religious School, including curriculum development, faculty, and educational programming for students and families.
Born in Philadelphia and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, Rabbi Ruberg began his studies at The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in 2000 as a student in the Joint Program with List College and Columbia University, earning a bachelor’s degree from each institution. During his college years, he sang with Pizmon, the coeducational Jewish a cappella group, where he also served as the group’s vocal percussionist.
Following his undergraduate studies, Rabbi Ruberg continued his education at JTS in both The Davidson School of Jewish Education and The Rabbinical School. During his decade in New York City, he worked in a variety of Jewish educational settings, including Camp Ramah in New England, Jewish Federations of North America, and Rutgers University Hillel.
Rabbi Ruberg has also completed specialized training through the Rabbinical Assembly and is certified as a mesader gittin (an officiant of Jewish divorce). He is available to guide and support individuals and families through the getprocess with compassion, sensitivity, and confidentiality.
An avid sports fan, Rabbi Ruberg can often be found watching a game or riding his Peloton bike. His wife, Rebecca, is the Senior Director for Executive Recruitment at Jewish Federations of North America, and together they are the proud parents of their daughter, Aliza, their son, Jonah, and their dog, Caleb.
Gabe Cohen
Assistant Rabbi
Rabbi Gabe Cohen joined the Temple Emanu-El clergy team as Assistant Rabbi in the summer of 2022.
Born and raised in nearby Hillsdale, New Jersey, and a Jersey boy through and through, Rabbi Cohen is a graduate of Rutgers University (Phi Beta Kappa) and earned his rabbinic ordination, master’s degree in education, and a certificate in pastoral care, from the Jewish Theological Seminary in May of 2022.
Rabbi Cohen spent his whole life involved in the Conservative movement. He is a graduate of the Solomon Schechter Day School of Bergen County, was transformed by his experiences in USY, and loved his year as a participant on the Conservative movement’s gap-year program in Israel’s Nativ program, so much that he went on to staff it after graduating from Rutgers. Rabbi Cohen’s rabbinic path was greatly influenced by his eight summers spent on staff at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires. The camp will always hold a special place in his heart, especially because that is where he and Deb met while they were both on staff together.
Rabbi Cohen brings his love of Jewish life, culture, and humor to everything he does. He has a passion for making Judaism feel accessible and relevant in the lives of those he teaches.
In his spare time, Rabbi Cohen can be found cheering for the New York Knicks, reading superhero comic books, watching Curb Your Enthusiasm, over-analyzing Star Wars, listening to The Beatles, or completing the daily New York Times crossword puzzle. Rabbi Cohen’s wife, Deb Pollack is a graduate of Barnard, also has a masters from the Davidson School of Jewish Education at JTS and a masters in social work from Wurzweiler. She loves decorating their home with pomegranate decor, keeping up to date on the latest trends in Jewish food, and baking her award-winning challah and mandel bread for friends and family. Rabbi Cohen and Deb live nearby with their adorable son.
Becky Skoff
Executive Director
Becky joined Temple Emanu-El as Executive Director in April 2022.
Previously, she worked at the 14th Street Y of the Educational Alliance, where she served as Associate Executive Director and oversaw a portfolio of programs across three different sites including a senior center, summer camps, and a preschool, as well as led her team in finance, operations, and administration.
Also at the 14th Street Y, Becky served as Program Manager for the launch of LABA: A Laboratory for Jewish Culture, an artist Beit Midrash program that is now a global artist network with hubs in New York City, the Bay Area, Berlin, and Buenos Aires. Throughout the years, she also developed and produced a wide variety of Jewish and cultural programs, including a theater and dance series, teen theater camps, Jewish family programs with PJ Library, and the Downtown Jewish Life Network. She was also selected as a Fellow in the second cohort of the Ruskay Institute for Jewish Professional Leadership.
Previously, Becky worked for numerous performing arts organizations throughout the United States, including on Broadway with the Roundabout Theatre Company, the Philips Center for the Performing Arts, the New Harmony Theatre, Chamber Theatre Productions, Boch Center for the Performing Arts, and the Writers Theatre of New Jersey. Becky is also the co-founder of The New Roman Theatre Group, an avante-garde theater company devoted to breaking down the barriers between performers and the audience.
Becky grew up in Tampa, Florida, and she received her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida in Public Relations and Theater. She received her master’s degree in Arts Administration at Boston University.
Becky can usually be found in her gardens, taking photos, or planning her next family travel adventure with her husband, Judah, and son, Benzi.
Adam Schwartzbard
Director of Youth Engagement
Adam joined Temple Emanu-El as a teacher in the fall of 2007 and has been a part of the staff in various roles since then. He currently serves as the Director of Youth Engagement, working very closely with Rabbi Ruberg to help oversee and run the Religious School, teen and other youth programs.
In addition to working at Temple Emanu-El, Adam is a full time Special Education teacher in the Jersey City Public Schools, where he has taught for nearly twenty years, the last 15 at Snyder High School. In the 2020-2021 school year, Adam was honored as the Teacher of the Year and was recognized as part of the New Jersey Governor’s Outstanding Educator Program.
Adam received his bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University and a master’s degree in Special Education from NJCU.
Adam and his wife Gabi, a Nurse Practitioner at NYU, are the proud parents to Taya, Simone, and Mickey who attend Leffell School and Solomon Schechter Day School in Bergen County.
Outside of work and spending time with his family, Adam enjoys pitching for his softball team, riding his bike, watching sports, tv & movies, reading, sitting by the pool and going to the beach.
Julia Vazquez
Director of Operations & Facilities
Chareen Kramer
Executive Assistant to Clergy
Tiffany Garavito
Director of Marketing
Tracy Anser
Member Services Manager
Shelby Effron
Administrative Coordinator for Lifelong Learning
