Rabbi Joel Finkelstein

Before joining the ASBEE family, Rabbi Joel M. Finkelstein was the Assistant Rabbi of the historic Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, the oldest congregation in America, founded in 1654. A leader in community outreach, education, and youth programming both here and in Israel, he also served as principal of the Polonies Talmud Torah School. Prior to that, Rabbi Finkelstein served as Rabbi of the Young Israel of Lawrenceville,NJ. He has also taught Judaic Studies at S/A/R in Riverdale, NY and at Stern College for Women. Rabbi Finkelstein earned his BA in psychology from Yeshiva College and received his rabbinic ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary in 1989, where he studied with Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. He is currently completing a PhD in medieval Jewish history at Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel Graduate School, where he is writing on the Medieval talmudist, RASHBAM.