Rabbi Jay Perlman
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Rabbi Jay Perlman is a Senior Rabbi at Temple Beth Shalom. Since his arrival in Needham in the summer of 2003, Rabbi Perlman has been dedicated to nurturing a warm, vibrant, spiritually meaningful community. He is proud to share in this sacred service with many outstanding clergy, professional, and lay leaders.
Rabbi Perlman is active in both the Needham and the Greater Boston Jewish community. He is an active member of the Needham Clergy Association, including having recently served as president. He currently serves on the New England Regional Board of the Anti-Defamation League. He frequently dedicates two weeks during summer to serve on the faculty at the Union for Reform Judaism’s Camp Eisner. Rabbi Perlman has served as a rabbinic mentor for both the Hebrew College Rabbinic Program and the rabbinical school at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He is a regular teacher for the URJ’s “Taste of Judaism” and “Introduction to Judaism” programs and is a member of the Needham Coalition for Suicide Prevention.
Before coming to the Boston area, Rabbi Perlman served at Congregation Shaare Emeth in St. Louis, MO. While there, he was awarded UJA Federation’s Rabbinic Award for outstanding community leadership. Rabbi Perlman was active in the development of innovative worship experiences, creative youth programming, and in working with the St. Louis Jewish deaf community. In addition, Rabbi Perlman was the founding Rabbinic Director of the Fleischer Jewish Healing Center of St. Louis.
Rabbi Perlman was ordained from the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in New York in 1996. While at HUC, he was the recipient of a number of academic awards, including his selection as a Steinhardt Scholar for his work in informal education.
Rabbi Perlman is originally from the Boston area. He is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Brandeis University, where he received his B.A. in both History and Near East and Judaic Studies. Rabbi Perlman has participated in numerous study opportunities in Israel, including programs at the Hartman Institute, the Conservative Yeshiva, the Pardes Institute, Hebrew University, and through the World Zionist Organization.
Rabbi Perlman has a passion for teaching, learning, building bridges, and sharing the beauty of our Jewish tradition. He joyfully shares his life with his wife, Emily, and their children Liana and Jonah.
Temple Beth Shalom's Elementary Learning Program
Mayim is Temple Beth Shalom’s learning program for children in grades K-5. Our children participate in active, meaningful Jewish learning experiences in a welcoming and nurturing environment that reflects the character of our entire community.
In developing Mayim, we moved away from the classical “Religious School” educational model that has been prevalent in North American synagogues for the past century. Instead, we are offering a new paradigm for Jewish life and learning. Mayim is the Hebrew word for “water” – learn more about why we chose that title.
At Mayim, our Jewish Learning Guides (educators) and learners collaborate to:
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foster deep, joyful community with one another and between our families;
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discover and explore Jewish identity, practice, and Hebrew language in immersive, interactive – and fun – ways;
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engage in innovative project-based, hands-on learning that gives each learner a role, a contribution, and a voice;
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embrace and affirm each child as an individual with a personal learning style, unique needs, challenges and opportunities;
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connect more deeply with the entire Temple Beth Shalom congregation and the Jewish community as a whole.
Together, we aim to provide this generation of children with an inclusive, accepting space to learn and build relationships while enjoying a rich experience of Judaism that will serve as a foundation for Jewish living for years to come. Mayim is grounded in our sense of who we are as a community as reflected in Our Vision for Excellence in Learning at TBS and Our TBS Mission and Vision Statements.
One of the keys to our success in this model is engaging, training, and retaining excellent educators to make Jewish life and learning come alive for our children. Learn more about Leadership Team, Jewish Learning Guides, and Hebrew Educators.
Mayim was developed in partnership with Combined Jewish Philanthropies and Brandeis University through a thoughtful renewal process between 2010-2012. Mayim launched as a brand-new approach to Jewish life and learning in the fall of 2012.
