Our New Assistant Rabbi
Dear CBE Community,
We hope that you’ve had a chance to read Rabbi Marc Katz’s announcement last week. While it is not possible to ever replace Rabbi Katz at CBE, and while his imprint will remain on our community and on our lives for many years to come, we are grateful to have an extraordinary new rabbi ready to serve our community in his own unique way. We are thrilled to share the wonderful news that Matt Green will be CBE’s new Assistant Rabbi beginning on July 1, 2018.
For the past two and a half years Matt has served as CBE’s rabbinic intern, teaching, officiating at lifecycle events, leading us in Shabbat worship, giving thoughtful divrei Torah, and directing our Brooklyn Jews program. In May of 2018, Matt will be ordained from the rabbinical program at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where he is known for his engaging worship, his scholarship in Yiddish and classical rabbinic texts, and his leadership in making Judaism fresh and relevant to Jewish adults who may be uncertain or ambivalent about synagogue life or religion.
During his time as our rabbinic intern, Matt has consistently impressed and inspired our members. He is beloved by the b’nei mitzvah students he has taught, and equally beloved by their parents. As the director of Brooklyn Jews, Matt has nearly doubled the number of participants in that community and has revived progressive Jewish life on Shabbat and holidays for 20’s and 30’s in Brooklyn, as well as providing refreshing Jewish culture and traditional Jewish learning. And he has developed bonds of affection with many of CBE’s long-time members who participate in Friday night services.
CBE’s Assistant Rabbi Hiring Committee, chaired by Rosalee Lovett, a Vice President of our congregation, enthusiastically recommended Matt’s hire to our Board of Trustees, who unanimously approved his hire at its November meeting.
A native Michigander, Matt graduated with honors from the University of Michigan, and was a Berman Fellow at Michigan Hillel before entering rabbinical school. He is the two-time winner of HUC’s Be Wise Entrepreneurship Fellowship (2015 and 2017) for various projects focused on Millennial engagement. The Jewish Museum recognized Matt as one of the 26 people, events, and ideas that made a mark in 2015. Matt lives in Park Slope with his partner, Jacob Nussbaum.
Matt is overjoyed to officially become CBE’s Assistant Rabbi come July. He writes:
“Looking out at the Jewish world today, there are few institutions as dynamic, impactful, and willing to experiment as CBE. I feel fortunate to build on my time here, to continue learning, teaching and co-creating meaningful Jewish life for our community. Over the past few years, so many in this community have shared their lives with me, and have shared in big conversations about what it means to be human, American, and Jewish in the 21st century. I’m thrilled to continue those conversations as CBE’s next Assistant Rabbi.”
We will have opportunities to officially welcome Matt in his new role this summer and to install him as our new Assistant Rabbi in the fall, but in the meantime, from now to June, Matt will continue to serve as CBE’s rabbinic intern. If you haven’t had a chance to meet him yet, he wants to meet you! You’ll often find him at CBE on Shabbat, both Friday nights and Saturday mornings, or you can reach him at mgreen@cbebk.org.
In anticipation of a wonderful new chapter for our community,
Rabbi Rachel Timoner
Jonathan Fried, President