Rabbi Joshua S. Finkelstein
Rabbi Joshua S. Finkelstein received his rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Columbia College of Columbia University. Rabbi Finkelstein was a Visiting Lecturer at the Jewish Theological Seminary. He taught the first-year seminar required of all rabbinical students guiding them to recognize and communicate the meaning and vitality of Jewish rituals and texts.
Rabbi Finkelstein has served congregations in New York and New Jersey. He is a past president of the New Jersey Rabbinical Assembly and served as the Chair of the Intergroup Relations Committee of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey. He served on the editorial board of the Community Faith and Values section of the Bergen Record.
Rabbi Finkelstein comes from a long line of distinguished Rabbis. His grandfather, Rabbi Louis Finkelstein was Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary. His father, Rabbi Ezra Finkelstein, retired after serving over twenty years as Rabbi of the Midway Jewish Center in Syosset, NY.
Rabbi Finkelstein is married to Elana Gershen Finkelstein. They have three children, Sarah (married to Kelsey), Eli (married to Danya), and Becky, and two grandchildren, Yair and Ra’anan.
Rabbi Mark Mallach is Rabbi Emeritus. He joined us in 1999 after serving as the Senior Rabbi of Temple Beth El in West Palm Beach, Florida. Rabbi Mallach was not new to our area; he had previously served as the Assistant Rabbi of Temple Beth Shalom of Livingston, New Jersey from 1994 – 1997. He served as our Senior Rabbi until July 2020.
Rabbi Mallach is a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America where he garnered academic prizes of excellence in areas of Talmud Study and Homiletics. In addition, Rabbi Mallach, a graduate of the University of Maryland’s School of Pharmacy, is the first Registered Pharmacist to be ordained as a Conservative Rabbi by the Seminary. Plus, as an avid bicyclist, he can frequently be seen on our local roads. In 2004, Rabbi Mallach became perhaps the only clergy-person to do a cross-country bicycle ride, which he did as a charitable fundraiser!
Rabbi Mallach brings to our community his wealth of experience in Adult, Family and Youth Education, along with his vision of charting a Judaic path to choose to live a Jewishly-enriched lifestyle. Having embarked on the journey of moving from living in just the secular world, with all of its inherent pressures, to embracing the spiritually enhanced world of Jewish observance, Rabbi Mallach is committed to bringing the teachings of our tradition to others in order to invest their lives with a sense of a greater numinous content.
Rabbi Mallach shares in our community with his wife Genya, daughters: Elana and Scott Rosenbaum and grandchildren Hayley, Hayden, and Hayzel, and their younger daughter, Ester and grandchild Winter.
Ben Rosenbach
Ben Rosenbach is an actor, playwright/lyricist, Jewish educator and TBAY’s Cantorial Soloist. Ben received a BFA in Drama from NYU Tisch School of the Arts (CAP21), and has since performed in regional theaters around the country: The Chosen at Barrington Stage Company (opposite Emmy Award Winner, Richard Schiff); My Name is Asher at Florida Studio Theater; Laughter on the 23rd Floor at Flat Rock Playhouse; South Pacific at the John W Engeman; and Rent at Harbor Lights Theater Company.
As a Jewish educator, Ben utilizes his extensive knowledge of Hebrew, Jewish history, and liturgy, skills he learned during his 14-year academic career at Solomon Schechter Day School, now the Golda Ocha Academy, to help prepare students to become Bar/Bat Mitzvah, and has been employed by some of New York’s largest synagogues. Ben grew up in Springfield, NJ, and has been part of the TBAY community since he was born. He is extremely proud to serve as the current Cantorial Soloist. Ben and his wife, Stephanie, live in New York City in Hell’s Kitchen.
Lawrence Indik
Lawrence Indik serves as High Holidays Cantorial Soloist at Temple Beth Ahm Yisrael. He also regularly appears as a soloist and recitalist throughout the United States. He has performed a wide range of repertoire including oratorio, chamber music and solo song repertoire and has also appeared in numerous operatic roles. An active member of the Philadelphia music community, he concertizes often in the area’s new music venues and has premiered over seventy new works by contemporary composers. Dr. Indik’s CD of new music, “Songs of Separation and Perspective” on Gesher Records has been widely praised. Although trained as a classical singer, he has studied Jewish Music and the cantorial tradition from a very young age starting in the choir of Nathan Chaitovsky at Temple Sinai in West Oak Lane, Philadelphia. He has also served as a high holidays cantorial soloist for over 30 years in congregations throughout the United States.
An active vocal pedagogue and researcher, Dr. Indik’s articles have appeared in the National Association of Teachers of Singing “Journal of Singing.” His book, “On the Boundaries of Singing” rigorously explores the meeting places of science and art in the craft of singing. He regularly lectures and gives Master Classes on singing, voice science and Jewish Music.
Dr. Indik continues to enjoy the many successes of his students, past and present, who have pursued their music careers in such institutions as the Metropolitan Opera, Aspen Opera, Central City Opera, Central Florida Lyric Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Lake George Opera, Wolf Trap, Chautauqua Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Dayton Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Naples Opera, New York City Opera, Covent Garden, Welsh National Opera, Dallas Opera, Opera Omaha, Utah Festival Opera, Rochester Opera, San Francisco Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Arizona Opera and on and off Broadway. They have also pursued careers as music educators, music therapists, cantors, music administrators, vocal therapists and conductors.
Dr. Indik received his Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics cum laude from Harvard University, a Masters in Opera Performance from the Temple University Boyer College of Music and Dance and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Manhattan School of Music. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Voice and Opera Department at Temple University where he has been faculty since 1993.
Jackie was the Temple Administrator of Congregation B’nai Ahavath Shalom in Union for 14 years, and then moved on to the YM-YWHA of Union County. Spending 13+ years at the “Y”, Jackie held many ascending positions, Membership Director, Marketing Director, IT and Communications Director and, finally, Director of Operations.
Volunteering at TBEMC, her Synagogue of 26 years she has served as Sisterhood President, and ascended from Corresponding Secretary to 4 years as President of the Congregation.
Jackie unwinds playing Candy Crush and lives in Cranford with her husband, Jerry. Jackie is Mom to two grown sons, Spencer and Jeremy Brooks.
