A Message from Rabbi Gruenberg

Greetings from Congregation Beth El of Yardley!  I would like to invite you to learn more about our Beth El family. Let me tell you a little about Beth El: We are an egalitarian Conservative synagogue with a growing membership, a new building and a young, energetic staff.   I know that when you visit us you will want to take part in the kind of innovative and engaging Jewish life that we have developed.

I encourage you to check out our website and choose one or two events or services that you can take part in..  I would love to have you experience Beth El with us and decide for yourself if our shul will be your shul.  I am also available to give private tours of our building by appointment; I look forward to hearing from you.

There is an ancient rabbinic tradition that warns ‘Do not separate yourself from the community.’  I encourage you to take the next step in deepening your involvement in the Bucks County Jewish community by affiliating with Beth El and finding your Jewish home.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year,

Rabbi Joshua Z. Gruenberg

Please feel free to email me at rabbi@bethelyardley.org
Click here to watch  my weekly Sermon Videos

About Rabbi Gruenberg

Rabbi Joshua Gruenberg grew up Westchester NY and earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from SUNY Binghamton.  He was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary as a Conservative rabbi in 2002 and immediately served as Rabbi-in-Residence and Director of Judaic Studies for a Solomon Schechter elementary and high-school.  Rabbi Gruenberg and his wife Elissa moved to Nyack in 2004 and he was the spiritual leader of Congregation Sons of Israel for almost seven years.  During their time in Nyack they increased their family with two new members, their son Samuel and their daughter Kayla.

Rabbi Gruenberg is a product of the Conservative movement.  He is the child of parents who both made their careers in the Conservative Jewish education field in both synagogue and day-school surroundings. He attended a Solomon Schechter day school, Camp Ramah and USY. He also worked for all three of these organizations as well.  Rabbi Gruenberg spent four summers as a counselor, rosh edah (unit head) and rosh sport (director of sports activities for the camp) at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires, and led three Poland/Israel USY Pilgrimage groups.  In addition Rabbi Gruenberg served as the coordinator for all Eastern European programs in the USY central office. 

Rabbi Gruenberg began his tenure as the rabbi and spiritual leader of Congregation Beth El in Yardley in the summer of 2011.  Together with his family, he is excited to be back in the greater Philadelphia area, as both the Rabbi and Elissa have some early Philadelphia roots, and may in fact have originally met as babies while being wheeled around the Plymouth meeting mall.

In addition to reinvigorating aspects of Congregation Beth El and strengthening relationships one by one, Rabbi Gruenberg is involved in the community at-large and holds positions of leadership. Rabbi Gruenberg is the coordinator of the Bucks County Board of Rabbis, a member of the national UJC rabbinic cabinet and was selected last year together with another 30 rabbis to participate in the the Kellogg School of Rabbinic Management at Northwestern University. Rabbi Gruenberg has written articles for many media sources and is regularly published in the Bucks County Courier Times.