Rabbi Joel Pitkowsky grew up in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. He graduated from Rutgers College in 1993, Phi Beta Kappa, with a double major in Hebraic Studies and History. As an undergraduate student, Rabbi Pitkowsky studied for one year at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. Immediately following graduation from Rutgers, Rabbi Pitkowsky lived for one year in Israel, volunteering for six months on Kibbutz Yavneh, and working for the Masorti Movement in Ashkelon for six months.

Rabbi Pitkowsky entered rabbinical school at The Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTSA) in the fall of 1995 and graduated in May, 2001. During rabbinical school, Rabbi Pitkowsky had the opportunity to teach an Introduction to Judaism class at the 92nd Street Y, serve as a military chaplain candidate in the United States Air Force, was the assistant for the Director of the Joint Placement Commission of the Conservative Movement, and was, along with his wife Ingrid, the Resident Director of Goldsmith Hall at JTSA.

Following ordination in May, 2001, Rabbi Pitkowsky served as the Assistant Rabbi of the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale(CSAIR), located in Riverdale, New York. Among his responsibilities at CSAIR was being Principal of the Hebrew School, coordinating children’s programs, and being rabbi of the parallel High Holiday service.

Rabbi Pitkowsky is very excited about being at Congregation Beth Israel. His vision for our congregation revolves around the rabbinic wisdom that our world rests on three pillars, Torah study, prayer, and acts of loving-kindness. He is grateful to be part of such a wonderful community. He has been in Worcester since August 2003, and is joined at Beth Israel by his wife, Ingrid Goldfein, and their two children, Jonah and Lili.

To contact Rabbi Pitkowsky, email him at rabbi@bethisraelworc.org.