Senior Rabbi Laura J. Abrasley
Rabbi Laura J. Abrasley joined the Temple Shalom clergy team in July 2015. She grew up in Houston and graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in psychology. Her path to becoming a rabbi began with many summers spent as a camper and then counselor at the URJ Greene Family Camp in Texas. After college, Rabbi Abrasley worked in education and technology sectors in Boston, most recently serving as Youth Educator at Temple Israel.
In 2007, Rabbi Abrasley began her rabbinic studies in Jerusalem and continued at the HUC-JIR campus in Los Angeles. She served as a student rabbi and intern at several congregations in California as well as Boston. With a strong commitment to Jewish learning, she earned an additional Masters in Jewish Education and was an education intern at Leo Baeck Temple in Los Angeles. Upon ordination in 2013, Rabbi Abrasley served as the Director of Lifelong Learning at Congregation Beth Or in Philadelphia.
Rabbi Abrasley is committed to inspiring and implementing active, engaged opportunities for connection and community. She believes deeply in partnering together to pursue the work of tikkun olam, repairing the world and providing rich moments for Talmud Torah, the pursuit of lifelong Jewish learning.
She and her wife, Julie Childers, have a teenage son, Noah. They are thrilled to be in Boston where wearing Red Sox hats is the norm!
Rabbi Jen Gubitz
Rabbi Jen Gubitz is thrilled to join the Temple Shalom team, coordinating our BMitzvah program and partnering with our clergy to serve the community. A student of Mussar and Midrash, Jen’s rabbinate is committed to elevating Jewish wisdom's capacity to speak to our human condition. Her welcoming vibe weaves learning, ritual and lifecycle experiences full of music, poetry, honesty and humor. She is the founder of Modern JewISH Couples which supports couples on the pathway to marriage and beyond and is the co-host of the OMfG Podcast: Jewish Wisdom for Unprecedented Times. Rabbi Gubitz's writing appears in the Boston Globe, Lilith Magazine, OnBeing, the Jewish Daily Forward, and the Mussar Torah Commentary. Learn more about her here.
Cantor Jen Keren
Cantor Jen Keren joined the Temple Shalom team in 2022. She grew up in Sugar Land, Texas,
received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami and Juris Doctor from Nova
Southeastern University.
Cantor Keren was inspired as a child by the Jewish music she heard at home and learned in her
synagogue's youth choir. She studied classical voice and psychology at the University of
Miami, Frost School of Music and was ordained in 2017 by the Jewish Theological Seminary of
America where she was awarded her master’s degree in Sacred Music. She later received her
master’s degree in Jewish Education from the Baltimore Hebrew Institute at Towson University.
Cantor Keren is passionate about giving voice to the dreams and aspirations of our community
through song. Cantor Keren, her husband Ido and son Shai are thrilled to be part of the Temple
Shalom family.
Accompanist Brian Friedland
To reach Brian Friedland, please contact Erin Borras via email or phone (617-332-9550)
Brian Friedland, Accompanist - Bio coming soon!