Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder or Rabbi Ruth as she is known is very excited about being the new rabbi at the Sandhills Jewish Community. She is a veteran Jewish educator and scholar. She is passionate about Jewish ritual and tradition and believes that communities are strongest when we are all able to participate. She turned her love of Jewish cooking into a Ph.D. in Jewish history from Yale University and her rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College. Her writing has appeared in many Jewish publications and she can be found tweeting @rabbiruth. She is the Director of Education at Be'chol Lashon, Globaljews.org and lives in Atlanta with her husband David. Her son Oren and his wife Emma live in Pinehurst and her daughter goes to school in New York.
Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder
Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder
Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder with the Cantor
Rabbi Emeritus, Rabbi Ken Brickman
Rabbi Kenneth Brickman was our rabbi from July 1, 2011, until his retirement in June, 2022. He had previously retired from Temple Beth El in Jersey City, New Jersey, where he had been spiritual leader for twenty-two years. After his first retirement, he wanted to continue his rabbinic career on a part time basis, and Beth Shalom was fortunate that he chose our congregation in the Sandhills of North Carolina as the place to do it.
Rabbi Brickman was an integral part of the Sandhills Jewish Congregation and of Jewish life in Moore County. His weekends were filled with Shabbat Services, Torah Study, Bar/BatMitzvah tutoring, adult education discussions, and reaching out to congregants – whether to share happy occasions or to provide comfort. He also brought new ideas and suggestions to enhance our programming efforts. The broader community benefited from his outreach to schools and interfaith activities.
Rabbi Brickman became Rabbi Emeritus upon his retirement. We are pleased that he continues to spend time in this area and maintains his strong connections to congregants and Beth Shalom activities.
Shabbat Services
This album includes a video of the Rabbi's speech on Friday night: