Rabbi Andra Greenwald

Rabbi Andra Greenwald joined Temple Beth Shalom as our new Interim Rabbi as of July 1, 2023. Rabbi Andra is no stranger to TBS as she is the Mom of our Cantor and has been a part of our extended congregational family since 2017. Rabbi Andra follows our founding Rabbi, Ira Rothstein who was our Rabbi from 1979-2019 and Rabbi Dina Rosenberg who was with us from 2019-2023.

We are excited to have our new clergy family team working together to fill all of our needs.

A message from Rabbi Andra:

Ben Zoma asked, “Who is wise?” “One who learns from all people.” Rabbi Andra Greenwald loves learning from everyone! She recognizes that there’s a reason we have one mouth, but two ears, and looks so very forward to learning from everyone at Temple Beth Shalom.

Rabbi Andra comes to us from northern California, but will always be a Brooklyn girl at heart. She graduated from Brooklyn College (cum laude), California State University (with distinction) and was the graduation speaker when she received her smicha. Her rabbinical studies included a focus on interfaith relations which, in today’s shrinking world, has been invaluable.

Rabbi Andra is a published author, having had pieces included in A Poet’s Siddur, as well as in Beyond the Sabbath. Her poetry has been published in the San Francisco Chronicle and also appears in many of her sermons. She believes that the pen is mightier than the sword and works to inspire and teach through her writing.

Andra is also a licensed clinical social worker and served as a child custody mediator in the Superior Court of California for eighteen years, having been appointed director of Family Court Services during the last of these. She was in private practice for almost 30 years and brings her counseling background to Temple Beth Shalom--along with her strong sense of justice, which is the cornerstone of our faith. For the past eight years, Rabbi Andra was the rabbi of the Mother Lode Jewish Community in the beautiful foothills of California where she very much enjoyed teaching, working to craft uplifting services and hands-on learning workshops and officiating at life cycle events which marked the most meaningful moments in the lives of her congregation. She has served as the Jewish chaplain at the California State prison and currently serves as a volunteer hospital chaplain. She is the vice president of the board overseeing an interfaith food pantry and clothes closet and feels there is no limit to what we may accomplish when we work together to repair the world.

Rabbi Andra is married to her best friend, Loren, and they have three amazing daughters. Andra considers her children’s spouses to be her children, as well and, while she loves all of them, she really adores her three grandchildren more than words might express.

Cantor Summer Sunshine

Cantor Summer is currently in her 7th year as the Cantor of Temple Beth Shalom . She graduated from the Jewish Theological Seminary in May of 2017; there, she pursued a Master of Sacred Music, while concurrently earning a Master's degree in Jewish Education through its Davidson School. The summer before graduation, Summer completed a 12-week chaplaincy internship and found this to be one of the most rewarding parts of her training. Summer earned her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from California State University, Northridge and graduated cum laude in 2010. She is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, National Society of Leadership and Success, and Golden Key Society.

As a cantor, she strives to inspire, encourage, educate and uplift. Through music, she works to inspire in both children and adults a close relationship to Judaism and one another and provide a joyous and meaningful connection to our faith. Through creative engagement in the classroom and outside of it, she encourages life-long learning on many planes and a deep commitment to Jewish values and practices. By modeling kindness and compassion, a love of learning and a personal connection to our rich tradition,she instill in others the awe, joy and passion she feels in her own soul.

Cantor Summer and her husband Aaron were married on July 10, 2022 and reside in Freehold, NJ.