Meet Rabbi Nick Renner

Dear Congregants and Community:

As we prepare for the upcoming High Holy Days and a new year of Hebrew school, youth programs, and B’nei Mitzvah celebrations, these announcements are particularly timely and welcome!
 
First, Thanks to the efforts of the Cantorial Committee, led by Fran Freedman; Jerry Simonowits, VP Religious Life; Barney Kantar and Rabbi Beals, I am very pleased to announce Congregation Beth Shalom has formally engaged Cantor Melanie Fine to share the Bimah, in-person, with Rabbi Beals for the High Holy Days. Cantor Fine and Rabbi Beals met at the Jewish Theological Seminary over 24 years ago and have a long-standing friendship, which will help facilitate the collaboration as they get ready for the holidays.  Cantor Fine went on to serve Conservative congregations in Saratoga, Palm Spring and Santa Monica, California, and currently reads Torah for her synagogue and fills in for the cantor as requested.  Needless to say, we are very excited to welcome Cantor Fine to our congregation and look forward to a very memorable and meaningful High Holy Days at CBS.
 
Second, thanks to the Hebrew School & Cantorial Assessment Task Force, led by Rabbi Ellen Bernhardt, and so many others involved in the many months long process to assess the needs of young families and children in our community, it is my great pleasure to announce that Rabbi Nick Renner has accepted the position and will be joining Congregation Beth Shalom as Associate Rabbi, Director of Life-Long Learning & Educational Programming.  Rabbi Renner will be overseeing the Hebrew School and B’nei Mitzvah preparations, youth and family engagement as well as educational programming.  The Executive Committee unanimously approved and along with Rabbi Beals, enthusiastically supports the hire of Rabbi Renner for this position.  His training, qualifications, experience, and personality are very well suited for our needs as a congregation to attract and engage young families. 
 
Rabbi Renner is a native of Chapel Hill, North Carolina and grew up in a Conservative congregation before going on to receive his MA along with the title of Rabbi from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 2014.  Before his tenure as Senior Jewish Educator at UD Hillel for the past four years, Rabbi Renner served as Assistant Rabbi at Congregation Kehillat Israel (KI) in Pacific Palisades, CA where he served at the range of funerals, weddings, b'nai mitzvah, and baby namings/brit milah. He was heavily involved in education for adults and teens, with a focus on Talmudic stories and contemporary Israel. 

Rabbi Renner is already a local, living in Wilmington with his wife Kimmy and their young son, Isaac.  Rabbi Renner will officially start on July 12th.  Among his first priorities will be to reach out and meet all our young families and children including pre and post B’nei Mitzvah teens. 
 
As an Associate Rabbi, Rabbi Renner will be providing back-up to Rabbi Beals in the event he is unavailable for lifecycle events (funerals, weddings, baby namings, etc.) and pastoral care/visits.  We will continue to rely on our talented and committed volunteers and a part-time cantor, for which a search is currently being conducted, to assist in the leading of regular Shabbat services and Morning Minyan.
 
Please help us welcome Rabbi Renner, his wife Kimmy and son Isaac, to our wonderful congregation!  We are so excited to have their family join our family and together embark on our next 100 years.

Sincerely,
Marla Cooper
President
Congregation Beth Shaom
Wilmington, DE

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