Your service to the Jewish Community has brought abundant blessings to K'Lal Yisrael. Among your numerous accomplishments of your rabbinical career, you have made significant innovations in education, interfaith activities, and ritual ceremonies in all of the congregations you served, since 1980, including Beth Sholom Congregation in Johnstown, Pennsylvania and Temple Beth Emet in Anaheim, California. As adjunct professor you have taught courses on Western religions at Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Florida with a commitment and dedication that all admire you have impacted the lives of the unaffiliated, increased the awareness of the well informed, and connected the Jewish tradition to other traditions in positive, fruitful ways. You have built consensus with clergy of other faiths. You have created a welcoming environment in the synagogue, assisting people in their time of greatest need, and all the while conveying the beauty of Judaism and its rich and layered history. Your energy and vision have been an integral part of all that you have accomplished.
Rabbi Irvin Brandwein
Rabbi Irvin Brandwein, a Jewish Theological Seminary graduate, has ably served the Johnstown Jewish community since 2002. Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Rabbi Brandwein was raised in Brooklyn. His prior pulpits were in Toronto, Montreal, and Los Angeles. He has served as President of the Johnstown Interfaith Ministry, and welcomes groups of all faiths to Beth Sholom Congregation. A learned historian and scholar, Rabbi Brandwein's sermons and teachings encompass a full range of topics within Judaism. He and his wife, Renee, reside in Westmont.
The following citation was issued to Rabbi Irvin Brandwein by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America:
Rabbi's Office Hours:
Wednesdays: 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
(*To meet with the Rabbi on other days/times please contact him to schedule an appointment)