Rabbi named president of Montclair clergy group

by Johanna Ginsberg
NJJN Staff Writer

The Montclair Clergy Association appointed Rabbi Elliott Tepperman of Bnai Keshet in Montclair as its new president on June 21.

The association offers the opportunity for area clergy to gather and support one another. It also provides interfaith advocacy and programs for the community, such as its annual Thanksgiving and Yom HaShoa services, and mutual support in times of crisis.

The group has about 30 active members, and nearly 60 clergy on its mailing list.

At least one other rabbi, Dan Ehrenkrantz, former religious leader of Bnai Keshet and now president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, has served as president of the organization.

Tepperman said he would like to make social justice a focus of his two-year term.

“Because we are clergy, as a group we represent a significant portion of the Montclair religious community. We have the opportunity to be a local voice seeking justice,” he said.

It’s something the group has undertaken over the last year and a half. Representatives of the association attended a town council meeting on behalf of proponents of affordable housing.

Through the Montclair Clergy Association, Tepperman said, he was able to expand participation in the local Darfur coalition to include non-Jewish clergy and houses of worship.

Tepperman said the group is also focusing on the needs of young people. “The clergy association is moving toward long-term commitment and support for youth in the town, especially programs that are enriching, productive, and positive for teens and young people to come together.”