An influx of new clergy members is stepping into leadership roles at South Florida synagogues ahead of the Jewish New Year.<\/p>\n
Some moved from out of state; others were serving their congregations in other capacities and have been freshly elevated to starring roles. All are preparing busily for the coming High Holy Days and say they are ready to bring generous doses of spirit and creativity to their congregations.<\/p>\n
Get to know them in their profiles below. You may be crossing their paths as they make their way through South Florida\u2019s vibrant Jewish world.<\/p>\n
Erica Rosenkranz, senior associate rabbi, Congregation B\u2019nai Israel, Boca Raton<\/p>\n
Rosenkranz set the tone for her new rabbinate by sharing with B\u2019nai Israel members her favorite teaching from \u201cEthics of the Fathers,\u201d a section of ancient rabbinical commentary that focuses on morals and character:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is not your responsibility to finish the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rosenkranz says the passage shows how difficult it is to make major changes in the world, but also how learning and human connection can create small inroads toward the Jewish goals of healing and social justice. She has extensive experience with South Florida\u2019s Jewish community, having served as campus rabbi for MorseLife Health System in West Palm Beach and in the planning department at the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County.<\/p>\n
She was born and raised in Rockland County, New York, and graduated from Binghamton University with a double major in comparative literature and Judaic studies. In 2006, she received her ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York.<\/p>\n
She is married to a fellow rabbi, Andrew Rosenkranz of Temple Beth Torah in Wellington. Their daughter, Laila, attends the University of Central Florida and their son, Haviv, is in eighth grade.<\/p>\n
![\"Rabbi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/TFL-L-new-clergy-00305.jpg\")
Senior Associate Rabbi Erica Rosenkranz, left, and interim Senior Rabbi Cy Stanway meet with synagogue members during a breakfast at Congregation B’nai Israel in Boca Raton. (Jim Rassol\/Contributor)
\nCy Stanway, senior interim rabbi, Congregation B\u2019nai Israel, Boca Raton<\/p>\n
Stanway started on July 1 and will lead the synagogue for a year. He came to South Florida from Gainesville, where he served as an interim rabbi from June 2025 to July 2026. He has also served communities in Hattiesburg, Mississippi; Las Cruces, New Mexico; and Elberon, New Jersey.<\/p>\n
Stanway grew up in Toronto and attended the city\u2019s York University. He graduated from Hebrew Union College\u2013Jewish Institute of Religion in 1987 and received a Doctor of Divinity from the college in 2012. In his free time, Stanway plays the guitar and drums. He also has studied taekwondo, Shotokan Karate, and Hapkido, a Korean martial art.<\/p>\n
![\"Jason](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/TFL-L-Jason-Cook-01.jpg\")
Jason Cook is the new associate rabbi at Temple Beth Am in Miami. (Jay Lopez Photo Films\/Courtesy)
\nJason Cook, associate rabbi, Temple Beth Am, Miami<\/p>\n
Cook spent three years as a congregant and day school parent before joining Beth Am\u2019s clergy team this summer.<\/p>\n
He was previously a rabbi at Rutgers Hillel in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and for the last three years served as campus rabbi at University of Miami Hillel.\u00a0 He received his bachelor\u2019s degree from American University in Washington, D.C., in 2013 and was ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 2021.<\/p>\n
Cook is married to Phylicia, who also works at Beth Am. Their son attends Rambam Day School on the synagogue\u2019s campus.<\/p>\n
Mark Goldman, lead rabbi, Temple Beth Orr, Coral Springs<\/p>\n
Broward Central Synagogue has appointed one of its rabbis to lead its Beth Orr Campus in Coral Springs.<\/p>\n
Goldman began his new role on June 1, having spent the previous year serving the congregation as interim rabbi.<\/p>\n
\u201cI received rabbinical ordination several years ago, and this was a wonderful opportunity to remain within Broward Central Synagogue, continue serving a community I\u2019ve loved for many years, and become the spiritual leader of a congregation,\u201d Goldman said. \u201cIt all came together beautifully.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Rabbi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/TFL-L-Rabbi-Mark-Goldman-01.jpg\")
Rabbi Mark Goldman began his new role for Temple Beth Orr on June 1. (Rabbi Mark Goldman\/Courtesy)<\/p>\n
Broward Central Synagogue is\u00a0the result of a merger last year<\/a> of two Reform houses of worship: Temple Kol Ami Emanu-El in Plantation and Temple Beth Orr; each maintained its name, religious services and clergy.<\/p>\n Born and raised in London, Goldman became a cantor before pursuing the rabbinate. He earned degrees from the London School of Jewish Studies and the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, and rabbinic ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion.<\/p>\n Goldman has been part of the Kol Ami\/Broward Central Synagogue system for more than 30 years, having previously served as Kol Ami\u2019s senior cantor. He said stability at Beth Orr is one of his highest priorities. \u201cI have a long-term commitment to this congregation,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not going anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n Wexler is taking the lead role at B\u2019nai Torah, a Conservative synagogue, after the retirement of Rabbi David Steinhardt<\/a>, who ended his tenure in 2025 after 31 years with the congregation.<\/p>\n Wexler was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2017. He served as a rabbinic intern at Park Avenue Synagogue and a rabbinic fellow at B\u2019nai Jeshurun, both in Manhattan. He also trained as a chaplain at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and worked at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires. He earned his bachelor\u2019s degree in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and Philosophy from Brandeis University\u00a0in Massachusetts.<\/p>\n Wexler served for nine years as associate rabbi at Temple Beth Sholom in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He and his wife, Rebecca, have three children.<\/p>\n Herzog is a musical composer and performer who has appeared nationally and internationally, with original compositions that have been featured in television and film and are known throughout the Reform movement, according to the synagogue.<\/p>\n He comes to Boca Raton from Paradise Valley, Arizona, where he was cantorial associate at Temple Solel for 18 years.<\/p>\n In Arizona, Herzog founded the Desert Gathering Jewish Music Fest, an annual celebration \u201cdesigned to gather the Jewish community out of the confines of specifically Jewish venues\u201d and foster a sense of shared experience, according to the Jewish News<\/a>, which covers Greater Phoenix and Northern Arizona.<\/p>\n He graduated from a combined program at Tufts University and the New England Conservatory of Music, earning degrees in philosophy and jazz vocal performance. He has also studied at the Academy for Jewish Religion in pursuit of rabbinic ordination.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An influx of new clergy members is stepping into leadership roles at South Florida synagogues ahead of the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":361402,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[506,28,30,5076,29,114,266,557],"class_list":["post-361401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-broward-county","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-jewish-journal","tag-florida-news","tag-latest-headlines","tag-local-news","tag-palm-beach-county"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=361401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361401\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/361402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=361401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=361401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=361401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Rabbi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/TFL-L-Bryan-Wexler-01.jpg\")
Rabbi Bryan Wexler is the new senior rabbi at B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton. (Jessica Vernof, B’nai Torah Congregation\/Courtesy)
\nBryan Wexler, senior rabbi, B\u2019nai Torah Congregation, Boca Raton<\/p>\n![\"Todd](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/TFL-L-Todd-Herzog-01.jpeg\")
Todd Herzog is the new cantorial associate at Temple Beth El in Boca Raton (Temple Beth El\/courtesy)
\nTodd Herzog, cantorial associate, Temple Beth El, Boca Raton<\/p>\n