From the Rabbi

Welcome to Temple Emeth.

If you are reading this, you are probably “shul shopping,” a rite of passage for every Jewish family. There are many questions you have to consider when finding the right synagogue. Among them are:

• Will my child get a quality Jewish education and grow up loving Judaism?
• Will my family be accepted and included in every aspect of synagogue life?
• Will prayer services speak to me and offer me something meaningful?
• Are the clergy people who will inspire me and serve as role models for my children?
• Will I have an opportunity to give back to my community?
• Will I as a Jewish adult have the chance to learn and grow?

I can say with confidence that at Temple Emeth, the answer to each of these questions is a resounding “YES!” But don’t take my word for it. Come to a service, class or activity and see for yourself.

I believe each one of us is on a Jewish journey, which involves wrestling with our tradition and shaping a relationship with God. Temple Emeth offers the resources and the support to help every journeyer find what he or she seeks.

Along the way we have a lot of fun, with lively and stimulating classes, services that engage and inspire, and social events where we are reminded how many wonderful people have chosen to affiliate here.

I hope you will contact me if you have any questions. No question is too challenging, too irreverent or too silly, so long as it is asked sincerely. You may reach me by phone at 201-833-1322 or through the “Contact Information” page on the website. I hope to welcome you personally to our congregational family.

Before coming to Temple Emeth, Rabbi Sirbu served as Associate Rabbi at North Shore Synagogue in Syosset, New York. He received his ordination from the New York campus of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1998, and he holds a Bachelor’s degree in political science from UCLA. He is especially proud of the three trips he has led to Israel in the last six years and of the innovations he has brought to Temple worship.

Rabbi Sirbu is the Treasurer of the North Jersey Board of Rabbis and the First Vice-President of the New Jersey-West Hudson Valley Association of Reform Rabbis. He is the Vice Chair of Intergroup Relations and serves on the board of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Northern New Jersey, and cherishes his involvement in dialogue between faiths and collaboration among synagogues.