Rabbi Neal Gold has been the Senior Rabbi of Temple Shir Tikva since July, 2005. Ordained as a Rabbi from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1997 and a graduate of Colgate University with a B.A. in Philosophy and Religion, Rabbi Gold brings a wealth of experience after working for eight years as Associate Rabbi of Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple in New Brunswick, NJ.
He is an innovative and passionate teacher and social activist, who loves how the beauty and power of Jewish texts and traditions unite communities, inform Jewish souls, and transform the world. He is a compassionate pastoral counselor and loves teaching students of every age.
Rabbi Gold teaches perpetually at Temple Shir Tikva, including classes in the weekly Torah portion, our weekly Wednesday study group, and classes in our Hebrew school and our high school Youth Community. He especially loves Talmud, Midrash, early Chasidic spirituality, and the roots of Zionism. Some of the adult education courses Rabbi Gold has taught in recent years include: “Reading Maimonides,” “Finding My Personal God,” “A Taste of Judaism,” “Money, Sex & Power in Jewish Texts,” and “Biblical and Jewish Themes in the Lyrics of Bob Dylan.”
A devoted lover of Israel, Rabbi Gold works to help people discover its magic. He is active on the Board of the Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA). For several years he worked in Israel as an intern with Danny Siegel’s Ziv Tzedakah Fund, teaching thousands of teenagers about Tzedakah, Tikkun Olam, and creating meaningful and offbeat Mitzvah projects. He has also been very involved with creating meaningful interfaith projects, and sits on the board of the Wayland Interfaith Clergy council. He proudly served for many years on the board of the Ziv Tzedakah Fund and is a founding board member of the Kavod Tzedakah Collective.