About Us
Membership in Greenwich Reform Synagogue
We invite you to visit our synagogue and meet with Rabbi Sklarz, Cantor Lipton, Executive Director Stephanie Glaser, and our staff.
Erev Shabbat (Friday night) services are at 6:30 PM; Saturday morning Torah Study begins at 9 AM; Bar/Bat Mitzvah services begin at 10 AM. For more information, please call 203-629-0018 to set up an appointment with our clergy or staff, or to request a phone call from someone on our Membership Committee.
Be a part of our welcoming community! Members of all ages, married, partnered or single, with or without children, of diverse religious backgrounds and orientations, enjoy the friendly, supportive atmosphere found in our warm congregational family; interfaith families especially appreciate our spirit of inclusion. We value the participation of each and every member and look forward to your enhancing life at Greenwich Reform Synagogue.
MISSION
Greenwich Reform Synagogue is a Reform Jewish congregation connected by love, friendship, tradition, and community, welcoming all who wish to participate. Our congregation is a spiritual home where all are accepted, valued, and nurtured, whether raised in the Jewish faith or not.
We embrace ethical behavior in all aspects of life.
We are dedicated to the study and interpretation of Reform Judaism in our ever-changing world.
We reach out to help those in need, following the ancient Jewish tradition of Tikkum Olam (repairing the world).
We are committed to our community, people in need throughout the world, and to the land and people of Israel.
We enable spiritual connections through:
- Study (Torah)
- Worship (Avodah)
- Acts of Loving-kindness (Gemilut Chasadim)
Clergy & Staff
Rabbi Andrew R. Sklarz
Rabbi Sklarz came to Greenwich Reform Synagogue in July 2008 after serving the Jewish community in Greater Philadelphia. Upon ordination from the Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion in New York, Rabbi Sklarz served as spiritual leader of the Reform Temple of Putnam Valley, in Putnam Valley, NY. Rabbi Sklarz received his MSW from Fordham University and his BA from Clark University, having also studied at Tel Aviv University as an undergraduate.
A rabbi, social worker, and psychotherapist, Rabbi Sklarz has a special gift for helping people and is passionate about spreading the message of inclusiveness. Devoted to spiritual counseling, social action, and interfaith work, Rabbi Sklarz has worked with children, teens, adults, and seniors in various settings. He has served as a pastoral counselor at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and has volunteered in hospitals, hospices, and homes for the aged.
In addition to articles in numerous publications and recognition for his service to others, Rabbi Sklarz has authored chapters in Life, Faith and Cancer: Jewish Journeys Through Diagnosis, Treatment and Recovery and Jewish Relational Care A-Z: We Are Our Other's Keepers. Rabbi Sklarz has worked with cancer and AIDS patients and those in crisis, has appeared on television, been interviewed on radio, and was featured in the video documentary, The Journey: A Survivor's Story. He is currently writing a chapter for a new book in which he focuses on the impact of Alzheimer's disease and dementia on family and loved ones. With his energetic and enthusiastic personality, his genuine love for humanity, and his passionate desire to bring people of different walks of life together, while celebrating their unique and special qualities, Rabbi Sklarz has infused Greenwich Reform Synagogue with warmth, spirituality and the essence of Judaism.
A lover of theater, music, the arts, yoga, and cycling, Rabbi Sklarz lives in Cos Cob with his wife, Susan, and their two children, Daniella and Alexander.
Cantor Sabrina Lipton
Cantor Lipton began her vocal studies at the age of twelve and went on to study voice at The Tanglewood Young Artist Program. While in high school, she attended the Julliard School of Music in the pre-college division as well as later spending years as an opera and oratorio singer.
Cantor Lipton received a Bachelor of Music degree from SUNY Purchase and studied at the Academy for Jewish Religion. She began singing as a Cantorial Soloist at Temple Shaaray Tefila in Bedford Corners, NY, where she spent fourteen years. Her musical interests and talents extend to a wide variety of genres which she shares both in the synagogue and with those whom she privately teaches.
Cantor Lipton and her daughter Miranda reside in Katonah, New York.
Executive Director – Stephanie Glaser
Stephanie Glaser came to Greenwich Reform Synagogue in 2008 after serving within the administration of Temple Shaaray Tefila in Bedford Corners, NY for fourteen years. Working alongside the clergy, the Board of Trustees, and the membership to develop and implement policies and programs, Stephanie is responsible for member relations, facility management, financial reporting, website administration, the weekly GRS weekly e-letter, and all internal PR.
Stephanie is an active member of NATA, the National Association of Temple Members of the Union of Reform Judaism, and stays informed of all developments within the movement.
Stephanie lives in Bedford, NY with her husband Paul. She is the mother of two grown daughters, Brooke and Brittany.
Director of Education – Lisa Gittelman Udi
Lisa Gittelman Udi holds a Master of Arts in Folklore and Mythology, specializing in immigrant/ethnic folklore and personal experience narrative, from UCLA; and a Bachelor of Arts in Drama from USC, having also studied Jewish Education and Jewish Family Education at Hebrew Union College in NY and LA, and at the University of Judaism.
Lisa has served as a faculty member of the Union for Reform Judaism's Crane Lake Camp, as chairperson of the Jewish Educator's Council of Greater Hartford, and as board member of Long Island Temple Educators and the Association of Jewish Librarians of Los Angeles.
Lisa has served as Director of Religious Education at Congregation Kol Haverim in Glastonbury, CT, at Community Synagogue of Port Washington, NY, and at Temple Israel of Jamaica, Holliswood, NY.
Leadership
Greenwich Reform Synagogue
257 Stanwich Road
Greenwich CT 06830
203-629-0018
203-629-0613 (fax)
info@grs.org
CLERGY |
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| Rabbi and Director of Hebrew Program | Andrew R. Sklarz | rabbisklarz@grs.org |
| Cantor | Sabrina Lipton | sabrinalipton@grs.org |
PROFESSIONAL STAFF |
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| Executive Director | Stephanie Glaser | stephanieglaser@grs.org |
| Director of Education | Lisa Gittelman Udi | lisargudi@grs.org |
STAFF |
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| Administrative Assistant | Erin Thomas | erin@grs.org |
| Bookkeeper | Clarita Agulay | clarita@grs.org |
| Buildings and Grounds | Peter Babivskiy | |
| Organist/Choir Director | David Johnson | |
| Youth Group Advisor | Erin Thomas | erin@grs.org |
BOARD OF TRUSTEES |
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| President | William Grad | grad@grs.org |
| Vice President | Dan Friedberg | |
| Vice President | Aaron Ford | |
| Vice President | Ken Greenberg | |
| Vice President | Andrew Loebelson | |
| Vice President | Stacy Ochoa | |
| Vice President | Cheryl Probst | |
| Vice President | Kevin Winpisinger | |
| Vice President | Robert Birnbaum | |
| Brotherhood President | Ken Greenberg | GRSBrotherhood@live.com |
| Membership | ||
| Personnel | ||
| Sisterhood President | Pamela Toper | |
| Trustee | Ruthanne Birnbaum | |
| Trustee | Elyse Brown | |
| Trustee | Mitch Cooper | |
| Trustee | Joy Davis | |
| Trustee | Norman Heller | |
| Trustee | David Kramer | |
| Trustee | Marty Mushkin | |
| Trustee | Judy Rayner | |
| Trustee | Michael Schaftel | |
| Trustee | Wendy Schreiber | |
| Trustee | Renee Slade | |
| Trustee | Glenn Wolff | |
COMMITTEE CHAIRS |
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| Adult Education | Martin Mushkin | |
| Circle of Giving | Sandy Soule | |
| Circle of Giving | Helen Stark | |
| Education | Judy Rayner | |
| Education | Glen Wolff | |
| Outreach | Marie Kimmel | |
| Publicity/Communications | Susan Sklarz | |
| Ritual | Ronnie Gurney | |
| Ritual | Renee Slade | |
| Social Action | Joy Davis | |
| Youth Group | Dan Dobryn | |
PAST PRESIDENTS |
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| Eve Goldberg | ||
| Ken Greenberg | ||
| Serle Mosoff | ||
| Linda Wiltsek | ||
| Helen Stark | ||
| Avrom Greenberg | ||
| Deborah Loebelson | ||
| Norman Heller | ||
| Steven Friedlander | ||
| Jim Gordon* | ||
| Sandy Soule | ||
| * Of blessed memory | ||
History
Greenwich Reform Synagogue was founded in 1976 and is the only member of the Union for Reform Judaism in Greenwich. The congregation first met at Diamond Hill Methodist Church in Cos Cob, then was welcomed by St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Riverside. In 1992, the congregation moved into its own home at 257 Stanwich Road, Greenwich, previously the Greenwich Catholic School. In 1998, GRS began leasing space to the Stanwich School.
This on-going cooperation with local churches and schools has given GRS a unique perspective on the needs and preferences of the Greenwich community, particularly those of interfaith families. Our members have always come from a wide variety of religious backgrounds, both Jewish and Christian, and all dimensions of congregational life.
Greenwich Reform Synagogue will soon be moving into a beautiful new structure on our spacious Greenwich campus. While the spirit of a close-knit congregational family will always remain paramount at Greenwich Reform Synagogue, our new facility will provide an enhanced venue for our lovely services and topnotch programs. With our warm relationship with the Stanwich School, we will all enjoy this magnificent pastoral setting only minutes from central Greenwich.
Upcoming Events
- May 19, 2012 10:00 amCynthia Crispino Bat Mitzvah
- May 20, 2012 9:30 amReligious School Mitzvah Day!
- May 20, 2012 10:30 amAdult Ed with Rabbi Rothman
- May 20, 2012 2:00 pmShavuot Seder at Greenwich Woods
- May 24, 2012 7:30 pmBoard Meeting
- May 25, 2012 6:30 pmShabbat Service