Clergy

Rabbi Irwin Zeplowitz

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 in the Chicago area, Rabbi Zeplowitz went to Hamilton, Ontario in 1989 to serve as the Rabbi of Temple Anshe Sholom, Canada’s oldest Reform congregation. In July 2003 he assumed the position of Senior Rabbi at The Community Synagogue.

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Rabbi Jade Sank Ross

Rabbi Jade Sank Ross grew up in Kinnelon, New Jersey. She studied Anthropology and International and Global Studies at Brandeis University, during which time she sang in Company B, an oldies acapella group, was an active leader in the Hillel Theater Group, and spent a semester abroad in Nepal. After completing her undergraduate degree, Rabbi Sank Ross studied at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in New York, and was ordained as a rabbi in 2018.

During her rabbinic training, Rabbi Sank Ross earned a Certificate in Jewish Education Technology at The Davidson School of the Jewish Theological Seminary, and completed a Master’s Concentration in Israel Education from the iCenter. In addition, Rabbi Sank Ross served as student rabbi at the North Fork Reform Synagogue on Long Island, and as a chaplain intern at NYU Langone Medical Center in Manhattan. Most recently, Rabbi Sank Ross served as the Assistant Rabbi and Director of Education at Congregation Emanu-El of Westchester. As a rabbi, she hopes to build a diverse, inclusive, collaborative, relational, creative, curious, and ever-evolving sacred community where each of our voices elevates us all.

Rabbi Sank Ross also loves food, and spends much of her free time in the kitchen cooking and baking.

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Cantor Claire Franco

A chance encounter with a religious school educator, some music teaching and a Friday night service led her to her calling and more literally to the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) first in Jerusalem and then in New York. It was there that she realized that this profession would allow her to combine all of the things that she loved: music, teaching, and bringing people closer to Judaism and to God.

To read more about Cantor Claire Franco here, click here.
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