Rabbi Emeritus Joel E Soffin

Rabbi Emeritus Joel E. Soffin served as the spiritual leader of Temple Shalom for twenty-seven years from 1979 to his retirement in June of 2006. Before entering rabbinical school, he pursued a PhD in economics. He was ordained in 1976 at HUC-JIR and served as an Assistant Rabbi at Temple Beth Israel in West Hartford, CT before taking the pulpit in Succasunna.
Rabbi Soffin has a passion for social action and Tikkun Olam projects, combined with a search for spirituality and holiness in life. In addition to serving as a member of the Commission on Social Action of the Reform Movement for 15 years, he had undertaken many projects with the congregation of Temple Shalom: adopting the Jews in a Ukrainian Shtetl and restoring their Synagogue and cemetery; traveling to Mendoza, Argentina to support the Jewish community during their time of financial crisis; supporting the ‘Chicken Project’ which helped the campesinos in El Salvador; and founding Shalom Ethiopia and The Million Quarter Project after seeing first-hand the conditions of Ethiopian Jewish Children in Addis Ababa to name just a few. Rabbi Soffin was also the creator of the Reform Movement’s Adult Mitzvah Corps which has traveled to locations in Kentucky, New Jersey, Vermont, Tennessee, Louisiana and Jerusalem.
As Rabbi Emeritus, members of Temple Shalom will have the opportunity to participate in future social action projects as well as experience his creative and challenging teaching style in the years ahead. Rabbi Emeritus Soffin resides in New York City with his wife, Sandy, a computer analyst.

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Service Schedule

Friday, September 3
Family Shabbat ‘Back to Shul’
Service at Horseshoe Lake 6:45 pm

Saturday, September 4
Shabbat Morning Service 10:00 am
Bat Mitzvah of Sarah Lakritz
Torah Portion: Nitzavim/Vayelech,
Deuteronomy 29:9 – 31:30

S’lichot Service and
Changing of the Mantles 7:00 pm

Wednesday, September 8
Erev Rosh Hashanah 8:00 pm

Thursday, September 9
Tefilah Chadasha Service                        8:45 am
Standard Service                         11:30 am
Tashlich Service at                                    2:45pm
Horseshoe Lake

Friday, September 10
Second Day of Rosh Hashanah 10:00 am
Erev Shabbat Service 7:30 pm

Saturday, September 11
Shabbat Morning Service 10:00 am
Tot Shabbat Explorations 10:00 am
Torah Portion: Ha’azinu,
Deuteronomy 32:1–52

Friday, September 17
Erev Shabbat/Yom Kippur
Kol Nidre Service               8:00 pm

Saturday, September 18
Shabbat Morning Yom Kippur Services
Tefilah Chadasha Service                      8:45 am
   Standard Service                         11:30 am
AM Torah Portion: Deuteronomy 29:9 – 14; 30:11 – 20
Musical Interlude                                     2:00 pm
Afternoon Service                        3:15 pm
PM Torah Portion:
Leviticus 19:1 – 4; 19:9 – 18; 19:32 – 37
Yizkor                                                        5:15pm
Neilah                                                        6:15pm
         Bring Your Shofars for Final Blast

Wednesday, September 22
Erev Succot Service 7:00 pm

Thursday, September 23
Succot Morning Worship 10:00 am

Friday, September 24
Tot Shabbat Worship & Shabbaton         5:30 pm
Simply Shabbat Service                           8:00 pm

Saturday, September 25
Shabbat Morning Service                       10:00 am
Bat Mitzvah of Rebecca Adelstein,
Torah Portion: Shabbat during Succot,
Leviticus 22:26 - 33

Wednesday, September 29
Erev Atzeret/Simchat Torah
Consecration Service 7:00 pm

Thursday, September 30
Atzeret Simchat Torah & Yizkor 10:00 am

September 3 - Back to Shul Shabbat at Horseshoe Lake - service begins at 6:45 PMAll are welcome to bring a picnic dinner at 6 pmSeptember 4 - Shabbat morning worship begins at 10 am in the Sanctuary

Service Schedule

September 3 - Back to Shul Shabbat at Horseshoe Lake - service begins at 6:45 PM
All are welcome to bring a picnic dinner at 6 pm
September 4 - Shabbat morning worship begins at 10 am in the Sanctuary