FREEHOLD —Congregation Agudath Achim, the Freehold Jewish Center, will welcome a new rabbi, Tal Sessler, who will be stepping into the pulpit on July 15.
“There is always a bit of sadness and anxiety when a rabbi announces his retirement, especially with the bumpy year we have had with the sudden loss of our cantor in the fall, and we will miss Rabbi Kenneth Greene. But the congregation is very excited to be welcoming Rabbi Sessler to our family, and it could not have come at a better time,” said Barry Hochberg, president of the Freehold Jewish Center.
In 2011, Freehold Jewish Center’s programming has been focused on membership drives, community outreach and member involvement as a lead-in to its upcoming centennial gala in the fall, celebrating the congregation’s 100th year as a significant part of Freehold’s cultural history.
According to a press release, Sessler grew up in Tel Aviv, Israel, and earned his doctorate at the New School for Social Research. He is the author of three books about philosophy and Jewish theology.
Ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary, he previously served as rabbi of the Jewish Center of Forest Hills West in Middle Village, N.Y. He is married to Nina Sessler, a clinical psychologist originally from Atlanta.