OurRabbi
Rabbi Jeffrey W. Goldwasser came to Temple Sinai in Cranston in July of 2014. Since then, he has brought new energy and spirit to the congregation and he is recognized as a leader in Rhode Island's faith community.
Rabbi Goldwasser has innovated new styles of worship at Temple Sinai – including meditation services, Visual T'filah, summer services on the beach, and more. Rabbi Goldwasser's adult education classes have included a course for seniors on Jewish Sacred Aging and joint classes with Holy Apostles Catholic Church investigating texts that Judaism and Christianity share and deepening the relationship between Jews and Christians.
Rabbi Goldwasser serves as the Social Action Chair of the Community Relations Council of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. He is also on the Steering Committee of the Rhode Island Interfaith Alliance to Reduce Poverty. In 2016, he was the recipient of the Jewish Alliance's Tilles Award for service, leadership and commitment to Jewish community relations. He was a winner of the Reform Movement's Fain Award for Social Action in 2011 for a program to bring weekend meals to homebound seniors. He previously served congregations in North Adams, Massachusetts, and Stuart, Florida.
Rabbi Goldwasser and his wife, Jonquil Wolfson, are the parents of two daughters, Talia and Eliana.
Email Rabbi Jeff at: rabbigoldwasser@templesinairi.org
Read Rabbi Jeff's policies on wedding officiation.
Rabbi Goldwasser has innovated new styles of worship at Temple Sinai – including meditation services, Visual T'filah, summer services on the beach, and more. Rabbi Goldwasser's adult education classes have included a course for seniors on Jewish Sacred Aging and joint classes with Holy Apostles Catholic Church investigating texts that Judaism and Christianity share and deepening the relationship between Jews and Christians.
Rabbi Goldwasser serves as the Social Action Chair of the Community Relations Council of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. He is also on the Steering Committee of the Rhode Island Interfaith Alliance to Reduce Poverty. In 2016, he was the recipient of the Jewish Alliance's Tilles Award for service, leadership and commitment to Jewish community relations. He was a winner of the Reform Movement's Fain Award for Social Action in 2011 for a program to bring weekend meals to homebound seniors. He previously served congregations in North Adams, Massachusetts, and Stuart, Florida.
Rabbi Goldwasser and his wife, Jonquil Wolfson, are the parents of two daughters, Talia and Eliana.
Email Rabbi Jeff at: rabbigoldwasser@templesinairi.org
Read Rabbi Jeff's policies on wedding officiation.
OurCantor
Cantor Deborah Johnson begins her tenure at Temple Sinai in August of 2016. She earned her Cantorial Certificate in Jewish Sacred Music at Hebrew College in Newton, Massachusetts, and most recently, was Cantorial Associate at Temple Habonim, Barrington, with a High Holiday appointment at the Oahu Jewish Ohana in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Deborah began solo singing at the age of five, when she was asked to sing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" at her school's winter concert and forgot the words; she hummed. She has since worked as a folk and blues singer and for several summers, sang Renaissance music at the American Shakespeare Theater in Stratford, Connecticut. Most important, her engagement with Jewish music began as a soprano member of Zamir Chorale in Boston, as lead singer in the klezmer band, Mashke, also based in Boston, and as substitute lay cantor at Temple Beth-El in Providence.
Deborah has a PhD from Brown University and is Professor of Art History and Women's Studies at Providence College. She is the lucky wife of Dr. Robert Serinsky, and the mother of two lovely daughters, Leah and Chloe.
Cantor Deborah is more than delighted to join Temple Sinai – and almost never forgets the words to our prayers.
Email Cantor Deborah Johnson at: CantorDeborah@templesinairi.org
Deborah began solo singing at the age of five, when she was asked to sing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" at her school's winter concert and forgot the words; she hummed. She has since worked as a folk and blues singer and for several summers, sang Renaissance music at the American Shakespeare Theater in Stratford, Connecticut. Most important, her engagement with Jewish music began as a soprano member of Zamir Chorale in Boston, as lead singer in the klezmer band, Mashke, also based in Boston, and as substitute lay cantor at Temple Beth-El in Providence.
Deborah has a PhD from Brown University and is Professor of Art History and Women's Studies at Providence College. She is the lucky wife of Dr. Robert Serinsky, and the mother of two lovely daughters, Leah and Chloe.
Cantor Deborah is more than delighted to join Temple Sinai – and almost never forgets the words to our prayers.
Email Cantor Deborah Johnson at: CantorDeborah@templesinairi.org
OurEducator
Rabbi Sol Goodman is Temple Sinai's Director of Education. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Roosevelt University in Chicago and a Master’s Degree from Hebrew Union College, Los Angeles. In 1980, he was ordained from Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. He spent four years in Israel pursuing graduate studies in Bible and Education, with emphasis on Curriculum Development for Language Learning. He has served communities across the country as Spiritual Leader, Educator, and Chaplain to universities, prisons, and health care facilities, including those affiliated with the Mayo Clinic. In addition to preparing area B’nei Mitzvah students, Rabbi Goodman is the iconic Senior Chaplain at Yawgoog Boy Scout Reservation in Rockville, RI. For the past 17 years, he has tended to the spiritual needs of over 6,000 youth and adults of all faiths, from across America and around the world. Each summer he conducts an interactive session on Interfaith Worship for approximately 150 new leaders. Rabbi Goodman is one of the longest continuously serving staff members at Yawgoog. He has participated in the training of 2500 new leaders, offered Sunday and worship programs to 13,000 individuals of all faiths, and watched 100,000 people walk by his door, A crafter of meaningful, creative, and sometimes offbeat life-ceremonies, he is currently featured online in MarthaStewartWeddings.com: “15 Tips Your Wedding Officiant Wished You Knew” (Jan. 31, 2016).
Rabbi Goodman contributes to local Jewish periodicals, and is a consultant and speaker for schools, churches, and other organizations on interfaith issues and Holocaust studies. Partnering with a local church, he operates a weekly “roving food bank” delivering food boxes to families in need. Rabbi Goodman is fluent in both Yiddish and Hebrew. Additionally, he has personally delivered a Torah to an Israeli Kibbutz, led a 2010 Census Crew and provided job placement and support for at-risk youth. His interest in the spiritual and healing dimensions of Jewish life has taken him to studies in Clinical Pastoral Education, Reiki, Cranio-Sacral Therapy,Integrative Energy Therapy (IET), and Spiritual Journeying. He believes that, “At our core, we are all spiritual journeyers.”
Raised in a traditional Jewish home, Rabbi Goodman relates effortlessly with Jewish people at every level of observance, and moves seamlessly between those communities. He enjoys reading, walking, and “face-timing” with his grandchildren in Washington, DC. He takes particular pleasure in translating popular songs from English to Hebrew for performance by his students. The most recent of these was “Snowman” from Disney’s Frozen. Rabbi Goodman lives in East Providence, RI, with his wife, two of their sons, their dog Doni, and Kitzle the cat.
Email Rabbi Sol Goodman at: rabbisol@templesinairi.org
Rabbi Goodman contributes to local Jewish periodicals, and is a consultant and speaker for schools, churches, and other organizations on interfaith issues and Holocaust studies. Partnering with a local church, he operates a weekly “roving food bank” delivering food boxes to families in need. Rabbi Goodman is fluent in both Yiddish and Hebrew. Additionally, he has personally delivered a Torah to an Israeli Kibbutz, led a 2010 Census Crew and provided job placement and support for at-risk youth. His interest in the spiritual and healing dimensions of Jewish life has taken him to studies in Clinical Pastoral Education, Reiki, Cranio-Sacral Therapy,Integrative Energy Therapy (IET), and Spiritual Journeying. He believes that, “At our core, we are all spiritual journeyers.”
Raised in a traditional Jewish home, Rabbi Goodman relates effortlessly with Jewish people at every level of observance, and moves seamlessly between those communities. He enjoys reading, walking, and “face-timing” with his grandchildren in Washington, DC. He takes particular pleasure in translating popular songs from English to Hebrew for performance by his students. The most recent of these was “Snowman” from Disney’s Frozen. Rabbi Goodman lives in East Providence, RI, with his wife, two of their sons, their dog Doni, and Kitzle the cat.
Email Rabbi Sol Goodman at: rabbisol@templesinairi.org
CantorRemmie
Cantor Remmie Brown is our congregation's beloved Cantor Emeritus. Before his retirement in 2014, Remmie's beautiful and spirit-filled voice led our congregation in prayer for 34 years. Join us in wishing Remmie a wonderful retirement as he remains a vital part of our congregational family.
