Temple Beth Am welcomes Rav Samuel Blumberg and Cantor David Wolff as the new clergy team starting on July 1. Rav Blumberg and Cantor Wolff will serve in their traditional rabbi/cantor clergy roles as well as co-directors of the education department, responsible for the Temple Beth Am Religious School. The TBA community looks forward to a joyful celebration of worship, song and Jewish/multicultural experiences led by Rav Blumberg and Cantor Wolff.
The TBA Board of Trustees enlisted a search committee comprising multigenerational congregants about one year ago. The committee ran a comprehensive search for new spiritual leadership and the clergy team of Blumberg and Wolff was confirmed in a congregational meeting in early February.
“Rav Sam Blumberg and Cantor David Wolff are an enthusiastic team that will bring energy, personal support and spiritually-driven leadership to Temple Beth Am, moving our synagogue into a new and exciting era in its more than 60-year history as a Reform Jewish synagogue in Framingham” says TBA president Carol Hanover. “While respectful of Temple Beth Am’s traditions, they will lead our inclusive community to a joyful expression of our Jewish belief through prayer, study and music.”
Rav Sam Blumberg comes to Temple Beth Am as spiritual leader from Hebrew College, where he will be ordained next spring. He grew up in Southern California and earned a degree in religious studies from the University of California, Davis. Rav Blumberg then went on to the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem before receiving his master of Jewish education from Hebrew College. He spent five years teaching Jewish studies to middle school students at a Jewish day school in Portland, Oregon, before returning to Hebrew College to join the rabbinate. He has worked as a rabbinic intern at Congregation Betenu in Amherst, New Hampshire, and Temple Sinai in Brookline, and completed his chaplaincy at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Rav Blumberg lives with his wife, Amalia, and two children, Zamir and Sol.
Cantor David Wolff returns to Temple Beth Am after spending the past two years as a cantorial intern. He was ordained at Hebrew College in June 2020. He brings pulpit experience from Temple Israel in Natick, Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley, Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, D.C., and Congregation Beit Chaverim in Maryland, in addition to almost 10 years of work experience in music and religious education. Cantor Wolff graduated from Amherst College with a degree in music composition before studying Hebrew at Ulpan Gordon in Tel Aviv. He earned a master of music in voice and music education from the University of Michigan and a master of arts in Jewish education from Hebrew College. Before becoming a cantor, Cantor Wolff was an opera performer and a music educator in a low-income public elementary school in Maryland for five years.
Rav Blumberg and Cantor Wolff will be leading Shabbat services starting July 3. The public is invited to participate in online Shabbat services by contacting the temple office to obtain the Zoom log-in information until we are able to enjoy each other’s company face-to-face. In addition, Temple Beth Am will be hosting virtual meet-and-greets with Rav Blumberg and Cantor Wolff throughout the summer and fall.
Please contact the temple office at 508-872-8300 or email shalom@tempbetham.org for more information.
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