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Am Shalom Welcomes Rabbi Emma Gottlieb
Am Shalom Congregation Welcomes Rabbi Emma Gottlieb
It is with great joy and excitement that we announce the hiring of Rabbi Emma Gottlieb as the Rabbi and Spiritual Leader of Am Shalom Congregation, Barrie Ontario. Rabbi Gottlieb will join us on May 1, 2025.
Rabbi Gottlieb was educated at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, in New York, and received Smicha (Rabbinic Ordination) in 2010. Rabbi Gottlieb “understands music to be a powerful vehicle for bringing people and God together in sacred time and space.” In addition to her rabbinical scholarship, she studied at the HUC-JIR School of Sacred Music and served as a cantorial soloist/intern at numerous esteemed congregations in Canada and the United States. Rabbi Gottlieb completed a MA in Hebrew Literature and completed undergraduate studies at Queen’s University with a dual concentration in Religious Studies and Vocal Music. Rabbi Gottlieb joins the Am Shalom Congregation from Cape Town South Africa, where she has served on the Rabbinic Team at Temple Israel CTPJC since 2018.
Rabbi Gottlieb is an educated, experienced, skilled, caring, and empathic individual. She will bring to our shul enthusiastic spiritual leadership, engagement with our members through study and torah, and will have a direct impact on our congregational youth through her role as leader of youth programs and services. Rabbi Gottlieb has extensive experience as a youth educator and leader in the Jewish reform camp movement and will undoubtedly shape the future of our youth programming and engagement. We are very excited about the expanded role we have planned with Rabbi Gottlieb, and how this engagement will enhance how we serve community, our commitment for meaning (emet), for self-betterment (shleimut), and for the betterment of the world in which we live (Tikkun Olam).
Yasher Koach to our Rabbi Search Committee, who were truly instrumental and steadfast throughout the search process. Thank you to Committee Chair, Michaele-Sue Goldblatt for your guidance and to the committee members Dr. Marc Brenner, Dr. Howard Bloom and Jeff Wellman for the year-long commitment and dedication to match Rabbi Emma Gottlieb to our Am Shalom community.
We also wish to thank Rabbi Micah Streiffer, Rabbi Bill Tepper and Cantor Ben Silverberg for their continued support as interim clergy. Your commitment to our congregation is remarkable and appreciated.
Rabbi Gottlieb’s first official Shabbat Service will be May 3, 2025.
Welcome to Am Shalom Rabbi Gottlieb!
To provide a personalized welcome to the next Rabbi, please email AmShalomRabbi@gmail.com
To commemorate this joyous occasion, we invite you to consider a donation to the Am Shalom Rabbinic Discretionary Fund by contacting the Am Shalom office at (705)792-3949 or visiting us online at amshalom.ca. This fund is an important part of our Tikkun Olum.
Youth Program Coordinator job posting
Am Shalom Congregation is looking for a Youth Program Coordinator
Terms: 10 hours monthly Reports To: Rabbi and/or designate
Responsibilities:
- Network with congressional youth 12-17 (possibly younger), adults and families with young children (members and unaffiliated) to assess Jewish program needs and interests.
- Plan youth activities, family Shabbat dinners, holiday celebrations and other programs during the school year.
- Develop social, religious, and educational programming for youth 1-2 programs per every month or two.
- Encourage and facilitate youth and families to participate in other Temple programs as appropriate.
- Develop and implement a communications strategy to advertise these programs.
- Report to the board semi-annually about activities, programs, number of participants, etc.
Requirements:
- Basic Judaic knowledge and familiarity with the Jewish community and synagogue life.
- Familiarity with Reform Jewish practice and perspectives.
- Strong programming and organizational skills
- Ability to work as part of a vibrant, hard-working staff team.
Compensation: $20 per hour
Application: Please send Resume to amshalomcongregation767@gmail.com
Enriching our Jewish Community
ABOUT AM SHALOM:
Am Shalom is a modern Reform Congregation providing spiritual enrichment to the Jewish community throughout the Simcoe County area.
The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) believes that everyone can feel at home in Judaism and that there is more than one way to be authentically Jewish. We stand for a Judaism that, in response to today’s realities, is inclusive, open, and diverse.
We welcome all those wishing to share with us in exploring our religious heritage, celebrating our customs and rituals.
Reform Judaism maintains faith in the Covenant between God and Israel as expressed over the generations in the teachings of an ever-evolving Torah and tradition. Stirred by the mandate of tikkun olam, (repairing the world) Reform Judaism seeks to be the living expression of those teachings. It welcomes all who seek Jewish connection to pursue a life of meaning as inspired by the Divine and proclaimed in the truths grasped by Jewish teachers throughout time.
Reform Jews are committed to the principle of inclusion, not exclusion. Since 1978 the Reform Movement has been reaching out to Jews-by-choice and interfaith families, encouraging them to embrace Judaism. Reform Jews consider children to be Jewish if they are the child of a Jewish father or mother, so long as the child is raised as a Jew.
Reform Jews are committed to the absolute equality of women in all areas of Jewish life. We were the first movement to ordain women rabbis, invest women cantors, and elect women presidents of our synagogues.
Reform Jews are also committed to the full participation of the LGBTQ+ community in synagogue life as well as society at large.
Shabbat is a joyous occasion at Am Shalom whether we celebrate within our sanctuary, outdoors under the stars, or on the unspoiled waters of Georgian Bay. Together with our spiritual leaders and our wonderful and talented Shirat Am Shalom Choir, we explore Reform Judaism’s traditions enriching our Jewish experience.
Our members are active and involved in a variety of Social Action programs, which focus on volunteering in the community. For over three decades the Am Shalom Congregation has built a Jewish community interested in studying the many aspects of Reform Jewish life.
Located an hour north of Toronto, the Am Shalom Congregation welcomes you to our next worship service, social gathering, or holiday celebration.
