R’ Rael Blumenthal, Former Teaneck NCSY Director in NJ, Now Rabbi at Boca Raton Synagogue West in FL

25 Aug 2015
Rabbi Rael Blumenthal, current rabbi of Boca Raton Synagogue West and former Teaneck NCSY director in New Jersey, with his wife Aliza Blumenthal, LSW.

The Boca Raton Synagogue announced that Rabbi Rael Blumenthal, former director of Teaneck, NJ NCSY, has been appointed as the rabbi of BRS West. According to its website, the Boca Raton Synagogue is a congregation of over 750 families and over 1,000 children and is the largest Orthodox Synagogue in the southeast.

NCSY is the international youth movement of the Orthodox Union.

Rabbi Efrem Goldberg, senior rabbi of the Boca Raton Synagogue, said, “We are incredibly excited to welcome Rabbi Rael and Aliza Blumenthal to our team and to our community.  They are outstanding role models in so many ways and we are confident that their wonderful energy will not only enrich our satellite, BRS West, but will elevate our entire BRS community.”

Rabbi Blumenthal shared, “Aliza and I are so excited and humbled to be joining such a warm and engaged community. Together with the incredible support of Rabbi Goldberg and the entire BRS team, we’re looking forward to building a family oriented shul passionately committed to Torah, the State of Israel and chessed.”

BRS West is the satellite of Boca Raton Synagogue, located on the campus of Hillel Day School for those who appreciate a small synagogue environment. The minyan is focused on creating a warm community and a friendly atmosphere and has an emphasis on youth programming, and offers the full array of Shabbat and holiday services and Torah learning programs, as well as social events.

In addition to being a member of the BRS rabbinic team with a focus on growing BRS West, Rabbi Blumenthal will also serve on the faculty of the Weinbaum Yeshiva High School in Boca Raton.

Rabbi Blumenthal will be coming to BRS from Congregation Keter Torah in Teaneck where he served as rabbinic intern; and from the Yavneh Academy in Paramus, NJ, where he served on the faculty.

In addition to serving as director of Teaneck NCSY, Rabbi Blumenthal has spent the past six summers as a director of the NCSY Anne Samson Jerusalem Journey program (formerly known as TJJ) in Israel, and currently trains advisors in Jewish outreach and cultivating relationships.

Rabbi Blumenthal was born and raised in South Africa and studied for three years at Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh in Israel. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from Yeshiva University and completed his rabbinic studies at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), a YU affiliate, under the tutelage of RIETS Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Hershel Schachter, OU Kosher halachic decisor. Rabbi Blumenthal lives in Boca Raton with his wife Aliza and their two children Ayelet (3), and Dovi (5 months).

Aliza Blumenthal completed her BA in psychology at YU’s Stern College for Women, and then went on to receive her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Hunter College of the City University of New York. She previously served as a therapist at Jewish Family Services in Clifton/Passaic, NJ, as well as serving as the outreach co-ordinator for Project S.A.R.AH. (Stop Abusive Relationships At Home), which serves the needs of Orthodox Jews affected by domestic violence and sexual abuse.