- (718) 634-0301
Rabbi Rebecca Epstein is passionate about creating a compelling Jewish community that is deeply engaged in Torah, Jewish tradition, caring for one another, and promoting justice in the world. An avid yogi, dancer, storyteller, and cook, Rabbi Epstein believes in creating an embodied and holistic Jewish practice that nourishes our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls.
She has been proudly serving West End Temple since 2021. Previously, she served as Associate Rabbi and Educator at Congregation Beth Elohim of Brooklyn, Congregation Beth Israel of Austin, Texas, and Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple of New Brunswick, New Jersey. She was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 2009, where she received awards in Jewish philosophy, ecology, and general excellence. During her time at HUC-JIR, she served as the Student Rabbi of Chavurat Tikvah. She earned her B.A. from Vassar College, where she studied Cognitive Science and Art History.
Rabbi Epstein is a past Vice President of the Women’s Rabbinic Network, and currently serves on the Worship and Practice Committee of the Central Conference of American Rabbis.
Rabbi Epstein resides in Brooklyn with her dear husband Barak, and their three girls.
Rabbi Marjorie Slome retired from West End Temple in June 2020, after serving the synagogue for 15 1/2 years.
She was ordained in 1987 at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in New York City. In the 29 years since her ordination, Rabbi Slome has served as interim Rabbi at Pittsburgh’s Temple Sinai, Rabbi/Educator at Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn, and has directed numerous programs for the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services in New York City. In addition, she has worked for the Union for Reform Judaism and the Jewish Campus Activities Board in Philadelphia.
Rabbi Slome has also served as co-chairperson of the Women’s Rabbinic Network, President of the Brooklyn Association of Reform Rabbis, and Chairperson of the Women’s Rabbinic Alliance while at HUC-JIR.
She holds a Master in Social Work from the University of Maryland School of Social Work and Community Planning, and a BA from the University of Cincinnati.
Rabbi Slome is married to Kenneth S. Stern, an attorney, author, and directs a small family foundation. They live in Brooklyn and have two adult children, Emily and Daniel.
Student Cantor Margo Wagner
A student at the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College, Margo has joined the West End Temple family as our new Student Cantor.
Margo grew up in Aspen, Colorado, where there was, literally, a chairlift outside of her high school. Aside from skiing, she participated in school music programs, learning to play the guitar and piano, and eventually becoming a percussionist.
Margo graduated from Indiana University with a B.A. in Jewish sacred music and a minor in Hebrew, and her college experience included a semester in Jerusalem, attending Hebrew University and the Jerusalem Academy for Music and Dance.. She worked as an Education Fellow at the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of southern Jewish life in Jackson, Mississippi, and has worked as a cantorial intern at synagogues in Chevy Chase, Maryland and upstate Schenectady.
As a fan of pop music, she lists Carol King, the Beatles, Madonna, and James Taylor, as her favorite musicians and enjoys current star, Sabrina Carpenter, as well.
She looks forward to working in Rockaway and sharing her passion for sacred music, “as a way I connect to God,” as there is “something special about singing with a community.”
Margo likes tennis, pickleball and card playing and hopes to join the temple’s mah jongg group when her schedule allows for it.
147-02 Newport Avenue
Rockaway Park, NY 11694
(718) 634-0301
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