Occupation: I am a community rabbi and have trained as a cantor and a Jewish liturgical singer, having studied voice for 21 years. I cover the greater Danbury area, including the towns of Newtown, Bethel, Monroe, Southbury, and Trumbull.

How Long in Newtown: I live in the town of Fairfield, but our congregation meets at 111 Huntingtown Road in Newtown. It’s a beautiful old road, and I have to pinch myself when I drive to work every day. Our leadership team meets in an historic old building built in 1918, founded by modest Russian Orthodox dairy farmers, and located one mile from the Monroe/Newtown border. When a large group of the younger men in the Russian Orthodox congregation moved on to Bridgeport, the community dwindled and only the older farmers were left. That’s when it changed to a more conservative doctrine.

Biggest Change You’ve Seen In Town: Lately, I’ve seen our congregation grow. We’ve gone from 80 families to 103 families, and mostly are young adults with children. Our Sunday School roster is growing as well.

Family:  My wife, Beth, is an English teacher at a Bi-Cultural Day School in Stamford, and we have a son, Noah, who is 3 years old.

Pets: We have fish––a Japanese fighting fish and two goldfish. They get along because the fighting fish only picks on his own kind.

Hobbies: This is not really a hobby, but it is something I’m excited about. We will be putting on a show called Rabbi Rock on Public Access TV in late spring that will have music and special interest stories. Because we feel the news media is generally so negative, we’re going to go with positive stories about hopeful things, like Kevin’s Community Center at Fairfield Hills. That’s an incredible place where a whole segment of the population can receive medical care that might not have done.

On Rabbi Rock, the music will be live and the message will be positive. I guess that takes me back to what really is a hobby for me: songwriting. It ties in with my profession. I like to write children’s songs.

Favorite Books and Movies: My favorite book is always the book I’m reading right now. A great movie is Flatliners because it’s a perfect description of the Jewish concept of repentance.

Organizations: I belong to Newtown Youth Services, and I periodically visit inmates at Garner Correctional Institute. I’d like to go into local nursing homes. I also help with Boy Scout Eagle Scout awards and ceremonies.

Most Vivid Memory: This is really true. When I was growing up in Great Neck, Long Island, N.Y., in 1969, the Mets were in the league basement. I was 9 years old and made a $10 bet with my Dad that they would win the World Series that year. Then I made a silent pact with God that if the Mets did win, I would always believe in miracles. The Mets turned the season around and won, and I’ve never looked back. That experience solidified everything for me. By the way, my Dad lost $10 and he is still an atheist.

Personal Philosophy: The proof is in the pudding, meaning, it’s not what you believe or say, but what you do in life that matters.

Judaism is a religion of love, and all religions have this in common. So really, I believe in the Golden Rule. Of course, there may be ambiguities in religion, but we must accept these on faith. For example, when God wrote the commandments on the tablets, it is said he inscribed the letters all the way through the clay, and yet the words can be read and make sense from either side. That’s a paradox.