Chizuk Amuno Names its New Senior Rabbi

Rabbi Joshua Z. Gruenberg will become the eighth senior rabbi in the 147-year history of Chizuk Amuno Congregation.

At a meeting on March 26, approximately 350 members of the Conservative congregation of 1,200 families and individuals voted to hire Rabbi Gruenberg. The congregational vote was based on recommendations by the Stevenson synagogue’s board of trustees and transition committee.

Rabbi Gruenberg — who since the summer of 2011 has served Congregation Beth El of Bucks County in Yardley, Pa., a synagogue of 300 families — will begin his tenure at Chizuk Amuno this July. He will succeed Rabbi Ronald Shulman, who left Chizuk Amuno last summer after serving there for 13 years.

Rabbi Gruenberg’s appointment was the culmination of a 16-month transition and rabbinic search process. Rabbi Deborah Wechsler and Rabbi Paul D. Schneider have served as transitional spiritual leaders of Chizuk Amuno during the interim period. The transition committee was co-chaired by congregational leaders Sandi Moffet and Dr. Stephen M. Pomerantz.

This August, Hazzan Emanuel C. Perlman, who has served Chizuk Amuno for the past 21 years, will become cantor emeritus. A search committee has been formed to find a successor for Hazzan Perlman, who will continue to maintain a presence at Chizuk Amuno throughout the next 18 months, including at High Holiday services this fall.

A native of New Rochelle, N.Y, Rabbi Gruenberg, 44, earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the State University of New York-Binghamton. He graduated from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2002 and served as director of Judaic studies at the Schechter School of Long Island in New York.

In 2004, he became the spiritual leader of Congregation Sons of Israel in Nyack, N.Y., and served there for seven years before coming to his current synagogue.

Rabbi Gruenberg was among a dozen rabbinical candidates who applied to Chizuk Amuno for the senior rabbi position and were vetted by the transition committee. Three candidates were brought in for a daylong series of interviews with congregational leaders.

As part of the search process, Rabbi Gruenberg and his family were invited to Chizuk Amuno for a three-day weekend in February, where he delivered sermons, taught classes and interacted with congregants.

“It was a joyful and meaningful weekend, and Rabbi Gruenberg demonstrated his command of Jewish history, liturgy, Torah, worship and the importance of joyful Shabbat services,” said Chizuk Amuno President Jason A. Blavatt in a statement. “Following the weekend, we conducted a survey, and over 350 congregants and school parents responded with overwhelmingly enthusiastic reviews of Rabbi Gruenberg. Rabbi Gruenberg’s passion to connect with people resonated with Chizuk Amuno’s congregants. He is the right rabbi at the right time for Chizuk Amuno.”

Rabbi Gruenberg, whose parents worked as educators in the Conservative movement, will move to Baltimore this summer with his wife of 14 years, Elissa, and their two children, Sam, who is almost 13, and Kayla, who is almost 11.

“I am honored and delighted to become Chizuk Amuno Congregation’s next senior rabbi,” Rabbi Gruenberg said in a statement. “Chizuk Amuno has been a leader in the Conservative movement for the last 147 years, and I am excited to build upon its historic strengths while creating a vibrant synagogue for the 21st Century. I want to bring to Chizuk Amuno and its schools my passion for reaching out to all people, both within Chizuk Amuno and in the greater Baltimore community.“

He added, “I am so looking forward to beginning this next stage of my career. I grew up in a house that was moored to the bedrock of basic Jewish values like arevut — responsibility — and chesed — acts of kindness — and was always infused with joyous Jewish living. I hope to bring these qualities with me to Chizuk Amuno Congregation.”

Speaking to Jmore, Rabbi Gruenberg said it was “a little early” to say what direction he plans to take Chizuk Amuno in in the future.

“It’s a big jump. We’ve loved our time here [in Yardley], and we’re excited about the opportunities [in Baltimore],” he said. “I’m just excited to build upon the tremendous reputation that Chizuk Amuno has and to offer my unique energy and create a new kind of community. Baltimore’s Jewish community has a stellar reputation and that’s a big draw. It’s a very vibrant place, a very unique place. We’re very excited.”