Irwin Zeplowitz, Rabbi
Biography

Rabbi Irwin Zeplowitz (also known as "Rabbi Z") was born in Niagara Falls, New York. Following his schooling at the University of Toronto, he studied at Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in Jerusalem, Los Angeles and Cincinnati, where he was ordained as a rabbi in 1984. After spending five years as a rabbi at Congregation B’nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim in the Chicago area, Rabbi Zeplowitz came to Hamilton, Ontario, 1989 to serve as the Rabbi of Temple Anshe Sholom, Canada's oldest Reform congregation. In the Summer of 2003 he assumed the position of Senior Rabbi at The Community Synagogue.
Rabbi Zeplowitz currently sits on the Board of Governors of HUC-JIR. He has served as president of Canadian region of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and as president of the Alumni Association of HUC-JIR. He is past Chair of the Reform Rabbis of Greater Toronto and has served as a member of the editorial board of the C.C.A.R. Journal: A Reform Jewish Quarterly. Rabbi Z is past chair of the Reform movement’s Joint Commission on Sustaining Rabbinic Education. He is a strong supporter of programs that connect Diaspora Jews to Israel and of an inclusive, embracing Judaism.
Rabbi Zeplowitz has lectured and taught as scholar at a number of synagogues, appeared on radio and television, as well as in wide variety of community settings. A popular teacher, he has taught numerous courses for Kolel: An Adult Centre for Liberal Jewish Learning in Toronto, JLearn, a learning initiative of the United Jewish Appeal-Federation of Long Island and at a Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) Adult Study Retreat. He has lectured at academic conferences and had many articles published in journals, newspapers and on the web (including as Torah commentator for the URJ “Reform Voices of Torah”). Rabbi Z is deeply committed to youth and has spent more than twenty years teaching at several Reform movement camps, most recently at URJ Kutz Camp, the teen leadership camp. He, like all our clergy, participates routinely in services for children of all ages.
Rabbi Zeplowitz is married to Anne and has three children - Abigail, Deena and Nathan. He resides in Port Washington, New York. He is enjoys gardening, exercise, travelling and reading. Send Email to Rabbi Zeplowitz