Our Religious Leaders

Rabbi: Joshua Goldstein
Email: rabjogo@aol.com

Rabbi Goldstein is marking nearly three decades of service as spiritual leader of Temple Sha'arey Shalom.

Rabbi Goldstein has been active in a number of local and national organizations. Included among these are his positions on the Rabbinic Cabinet of the Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA), on the Rabbinic Advisory Committee of Camp Harlam, and on the Board of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). He is a Past President of the Springfield Clergy Association.

Rabbi Goldstein received his undergraduate degree from Temple University, and his rabbinical degree from Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion. In 2000, he was awarded the Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree. He had served congregations in Geneva, New York and Springfield, Illinois before coming to Sha'arey Shalom in 1982.

Rabbi Goldstein is a native of Princeton, New Jersey. He is married to Sally Reiter Goldstein. They have two sons, Dov and Zachary. A selection of Rabbi Goldstein's articles and sermons was published in 2007, under the title "Standing on the Shoulders".

Our Rabbi is a warm person with a great sense of humor. His passions run from a love for Israel, to books, to Tar Heel basketball, to a fascination for Africa. Every year, Rabbi Goldstein speaks at our Annual Brunch. In April 2008, the Rabbi spoke on "Illness Is My Teacher." He loves teaching all ages, sharing his love for Reform Judaism and Sha'arey Shalom.

Cantor/Director of Education: Amy Daniels
Email: cantor@shaarey.org

Cantor Amy Daniels has served as Cantor of Temple Sha'arey Shalom in Springfield NJ since 1988. She was invested as a Cantor from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion School of Sacred Music in 1985, at which time there were less than thirty-five women cantors in the Reform Movement nationwide. Previous to her cantorial studies, Cantor Daniels received a Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts Degree from Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Institute of Music where she studied modern dance and music education. In April of 2010 Cantor Daniels was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Hebrew Union College in recognition of twenty-five years of service to the Jewish people as a gifted cantor.

Cantor Daniels grew up in Cleveland Ohio, where she credits her family's pastime of singing Hebrew songs around the dinner table with planting her love of Jewish music.

Cantor Daniels leads the Temple's active Adult and Junior choirs, prepares students for Bar and Bat Mitzvah, teaches adult education and leads all musical aspects of the synagogue worship. Since 1997, Cantor Daniels has also served as the Director of Education for Temple Sha'arey Shalom Religious School.

Cantor Daniels has performed in numerous concerts of Jewish and cantorial music with the New Jersey Cantors' Concert Ensemble, a group that promotes appreciation of Jewish music and raises money for scholarships for the training of future cantors. Cantor Daniels is an active member of the American Conference of Cantors and recently served on its Executive Board.

"As the Cantor and the Director of Education I am in a unique position to integrate music and a natural and meaningful worship and prayer experience into the lives of our students and their families. Contemporary Jews both yearn for the comfort of the familiar prayer tunes they grew up with and relish a contemporary sound that gives meaning to their personal longings and prayers. Worship at Sha'arey Shalom feels traditional and vibrantly contemporary at the same time. I continue to explore ways that our rich Jewish musical and cultural heritage can create community and enhance our experience of spirituality.

I also try to instill a love of Israel in our members through Israeli songs, Hebrew language, learning about Israel and its issues, and encouraging travel to Israel. A frequent traveler to Israel myself, one of my greatest experiences was completing a "Sea to Sea" hike across northern Israel (61 kilometers in five days). With the support of the Temple Sha'arey Shalom community we raised over $6,000 for One Family Fund which supports the needs of victims of terror in Israel."

Nina Greenman began her career at Temple Sha'arey Shalom as a Religious School Teacher in 1980. After taking time off to raise her children, Nina returned to Sha'arey Shalom as a Preschool Teacher. In 1996, Nina was offered the position of Director of the Preschool. Unable to leave the job she loved as a teacher, Nina took on the dual role of Preschool Director and PreK teacher. She has continued to maintain both positions from 1996 to the present. Nina's philosophy is that once a family enters her Preschool, they become a member of the Sha'arey Shalom "family" for life.