Rabbi Joshua Hammerman
Joshua Hammerman has served Temple Beth El in Stamford, CT for over two decades, synthesizing rabbinic and journalistic passions. He received his B.A. from Brown University, Magna Cum Laude, where he twice won the university’s prestigious Bishop McVickar Prize in Religious Studies. He also received a masters degree from NYU in journalism and was ordained in 1983 by the Jewish Theological Seminary.
He is the author of “thelordismyshepherd.com: Seeking God in Cyberspace” and contributor to the children’s book, “I Have Some Questions About God.” His articles and essays have appeared widely (see many of them on his blog, at http://joshuahammerman.blogspot.com/), and his column, “On One Foot,” has appeared regularly in The New York Jewish Week since 1995. Rabbi Hammerman was a 2009 winner of the Simon Rockower award, the highest honor in Jewish journalism, for his columns on the Bernard Madoff case, which appeared first on his blog and then were discussed widely in the media. Among his many personal essays are several written for the New York Times Magazine. He is also featured as About.com's Consdervative representative in it's "Ask the Rabbi" series and he is the "Jewish Ethicist," fielding questions on the New York Jewish Week's website.
Rabbi Hammerman came to Beth El as assistant rabbi in 1987, after serving pulpits in Peekskill and Beacon, NY. He was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1983, and also received a Masters in journalism from N.Y.U. and a B.A. from Brown University. He became TBE’s senior rabbi in 1992.
At Beth El, he has focused his efforts on creating an oasis of warmth, love and mutual respect, befitting the role of a modern congregation in an increasingly alienating world. Simultaneously, he strives to challenge congregants — and himself — to reach ever higher in setting spiritual and ethical objectives, and to delve more deeply into the rich vein of Jewish inspiration and wisdom available to us. He been a champion of inclusiveness and innovation in synagogue life, implementing programs like Synaplex and Shabbat Unplugged and embracing people of all backgrounds.
The rabbi has been president of the Council of Churches and Synagogues of Lower Fairfield County (now called the Interfaith Council) and the Stamford Board of Rabbis and is a member of the National Rabbinic Cabinet of the United Jewish Communities, a chaplain for the Stamford Police and member of the pastoral advisory committee of Stamford Health Systems. He also serves on the Rabbinic Leadership Council, a select group of rabbis chosen by JTS Chancellor Arnold Eisen, and has been heavily involved in many Jewish think tanks, including JESNA’s Jewish Education 3.0 project, STAR-Tech and Synaplex. He also has lectured widely and is a member of the faculty of CLAL, The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership. He is a champion of interfaith dialogue and his “Learning and Latte” series, involving himself along with Christian and Muslim leaders, has been a local fixture since 2002. A noted Cyber-Rebbe, he has pioneered the use of the Internet for inspirational and educational purposes.
Rabbi Hammerman loves surfing the Internet, rooting for the Boston Red Sox, a good, Israeli hummos, and all things Jewish. He lives with his wife, Dr. Mara Hammerman, a psychologist, two children, Ethan and Daniel, and their two standard poodles, Crosby and Chloe.
Contact Rabbi Hammerman: rabbi@tbe.org
(203) 322-6901 x 307
