Rabbi
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Rabbi Dr. J.B. Sacks began serving as Rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom in 2020. Well-known to our synagogue, he and his husband Steven have been members of CBS since moving to the desert in 2024. Even before succeeding Ken Hailpern as Spiritual Leader, Rabbi Sacks has read Torah, lead all aspects of Shabbat morning services, conducted study sessions, coordinated grants, co-led Scholar-in-Residence weekends and our Purim celebrations. He has also served on the Yom HaShoah Program Committee for Jewish Federation of the Desert for the past several years.
We were first introduced to Rabbi Sacks when he served as our Scholar-in-Residence in February 2015. Since then, we have welcomed him at Shabbat worship services when he and Steven vacationed in the area. Rabbi Sacks is a leader of Conservative Judaism. He writes articles for Exploring Judaism, the digital home of Conservative Judaism. (Here is a link to his author page.) He serves on three committees for the Social Justice Commission of the Rabbinical Assembly (Conservative Movement): the Racial Justice Committee, the LGBTQ+ Committee, and the Strengthening Democracy Committee. A long-time advocate of acceptance and inclusion within Jewish life, Rabbi Sacks himself is the first openly LGBTQ+ rabbi in the Conservative Movement and the first of any movement to be hired as the senior rabbi of a non-LGBTQ+ pulpit. |
Rabbi Sacks most recently served as Spiritual leader at Congregation Am HaYam, our sister congregation in Ventura, CA (2012-2024) and as the Education and Curriculum Specialist for Stories of Music, an adult education project of the Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.
Rabbi Sacks has broad experience with youth. He served as Director of Jewish Life at de Toledo High School (West Hills, CA, 2010-2020), where he also taught in the Jewish Studies Department and chaired the Tanakh learning track. Rabbi Sacks also served there as the Director of Outreach Publications, Librarian, chair of the Faculty Committee on Pluralism and Inclusion, Faculty Mentor to student clubs and Coach of both boys and girls tennis. He has also served as a Rosh Eidah (Division Head) at our Conservative Movement’s Camp Ramah (Ojai, CA). He previously served as a faculty member of the Los Angeles Hebrew High School.
Rabbi Sacks brings to us other experiences. He has served as a hospital chaplain (Jersey City Medical Center, Jersey City, NJ), Hillel Director (Claremont Colleges, Claremont, CA), Program Director at Camp Ramah for Adult weekends, and as Faculty of the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School (Conejo/West Valley, CA).
Rabbi Sacks’ most recent book is Psalms in the Key of Healing: A Text Study for Clergy, Chaplains and People Living with Illness. He completed the work of his dear friend and colleague, Rabbi H. Rafael Goldstein, editing the book and contributing the opening study and the afterword. This work builds upon his doctoral dissertation, a commentary on Psalm 32.
In addition to his current book on psalms, Rabbi Sacks has co-edited two volumes: We See Ourselves as Redeemed: A Liberation Haggadah (1996), a Passover seder centered on the personal journeys of LGBTQ+ Jews and Ka-Afikim Ba-Negev: A Manual for Rabbis in Engaging Their Communities in Embracing Gay and Lesbian Jews (1994). He has published articles on various Jewish topics, as well as divrei Torah (sermons), and has developed a number of creative rituals.
Rabbi Sacks has earned graduate degrees from the University of Judaism (now American Jewish University) in Los Angeles, where he received the Isadore Familian Award in Talmudic Studies, and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS) in New York City, where he received his ordination. Rabbi Sacks received his Doctor of Ministry degree from Claremont School of Theology. JTS conferred an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree upon Rabbi Sacks, acknowledging, especially, his work in social justice and inclusion. Rabbi Sacks has also received special Rav Ha-Machshir certification from the Conservative Movement, enabling him to supervise kashrut.
Rabbi Sacks served for many years on the Faculty of the Academy for Jewish Religion, California (AJRCA), heading the Department of Jewish History and Thought and teaching future Jewish rabbis, cantors, and chaplains.
A social justice advocate, Rabbi Sacks had been active on HIV/AIDS issues during the epidemic. He founded the AIDS Interfaith Network of New Jersey and helped establish the World AIDS Day commemoration at the Jewish Museum in New York City.
Rabbi Sacks has previously served our sister k’hillot (communities) Congregation B’nai Jacob (Jersey City, NJ) and Congregation Shaarei Torah (Arcadia, CA), as well as a Renewal congregation, Makom Ohr Shalom (Encino, CA).
Rabbi Sacks hails from Monroe, Michigan and descends from 17 generations of rabbis on his mother’s side. Growing up, his family belonged simultaneously to three congregations—one Orthodox, one Conservative and one Reform, Temple B’nai Israel, which his parents founded.
Rabbi Sacks is proud to serve Beth Shalom and to continue to build on the work and legacy of his immediate predecessor, colleague and friend, Ken Hailpern.
Rabbi Sacks lives with his husband Steven Karash in Palm Desert, California. They have an adult son, Evan.
Rabbi Sacks has broad experience with youth. He served as Director of Jewish Life at de Toledo High School (West Hills, CA, 2010-2020), where he also taught in the Jewish Studies Department and chaired the Tanakh learning track. Rabbi Sacks also served there as the Director of Outreach Publications, Librarian, chair of the Faculty Committee on Pluralism and Inclusion, Faculty Mentor to student clubs and Coach of both boys and girls tennis. He has also served as a Rosh Eidah (Division Head) at our Conservative Movement’s Camp Ramah (Ojai, CA). He previously served as a faculty member of the Los Angeles Hebrew High School.
Rabbi Sacks brings to us other experiences. He has served as a hospital chaplain (Jersey City Medical Center, Jersey City, NJ), Hillel Director (Claremont Colleges, Claremont, CA), Program Director at Camp Ramah for Adult weekends, and as Faculty of the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School (Conejo/West Valley, CA).
Rabbi Sacks’ most recent book is Psalms in the Key of Healing: A Text Study for Clergy, Chaplains and People Living with Illness. He completed the work of his dear friend and colleague, Rabbi H. Rafael Goldstein, editing the book and contributing the opening study and the afterword. This work builds upon his doctoral dissertation, a commentary on Psalm 32.
In addition to his current book on psalms, Rabbi Sacks has co-edited two volumes: We See Ourselves as Redeemed: A Liberation Haggadah (1996), a Passover seder centered on the personal journeys of LGBTQ+ Jews and Ka-Afikim Ba-Negev: A Manual for Rabbis in Engaging Their Communities in Embracing Gay and Lesbian Jews (1994). He has published articles on various Jewish topics, as well as divrei Torah (sermons), and has developed a number of creative rituals.
Rabbi Sacks has earned graduate degrees from the University of Judaism (now American Jewish University) in Los Angeles, where he received the Isadore Familian Award in Talmudic Studies, and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS) in New York City, where he received his ordination. Rabbi Sacks received his Doctor of Ministry degree from Claremont School of Theology. JTS conferred an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree upon Rabbi Sacks, acknowledging, especially, his work in social justice and inclusion. Rabbi Sacks has also received special Rav Ha-Machshir certification from the Conservative Movement, enabling him to supervise kashrut.
Rabbi Sacks served for many years on the Faculty of the Academy for Jewish Religion, California (AJRCA), heading the Department of Jewish History and Thought and teaching future Jewish rabbis, cantors, and chaplains.
A social justice advocate, Rabbi Sacks had been active on HIV/AIDS issues during the epidemic. He founded the AIDS Interfaith Network of New Jersey and helped establish the World AIDS Day commemoration at the Jewish Museum in New York City.
Rabbi Sacks has previously served our sister k’hillot (communities) Congregation B’nai Jacob (Jersey City, NJ) and Congregation Shaarei Torah (Arcadia, CA), as well as a Renewal congregation, Makom Ohr Shalom (Encino, CA).
Rabbi Sacks hails from Monroe, Michigan and descends from 17 generations of rabbis on his mother’s side. Growing up, his family belonged simultaneously to three congregations—one Orthodox, one Conservative and one Reform, Temple B’nai Israel, which his parents founded.
Rabbi Sacks is proud to serve Beth Shalom and to continue to build on the work and legacy of his immediate predecessor, colleague and friend, Ken Hailpern.
Rabbi Sacks lives with his husband Steven Karash in Palm Desert, California. They have an adult son, Evan.
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Ken Hailpern served as the Spiritual Leader of Congregation Beth Shalom from September 2010 to July 2024 with passion, professionalism, compassion, and humor. During those fourteen years, our synagogue community was enriched by his liturgical, educational, operational and leadership skills. In addition to leading worship, he developed innovative programming, managed grant-writing efforts, meaningfully led our community through the pandemic, and creatively supervised the synagogue’s relocation to Palm Desert in June 2022 .
Ken’s six-decades of Jewish institutional service began in his native Denver, Colorado, as a religious school teacher’s assistant and included local and regional positions in the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization and summers as a Counselor-in-Training mentor, Head Counselor, and Director of Camp Alonim in Brandeis, CA. His formal education includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education and Master of Arts degree in Educational Administration, both from the University of Northern Colorado, as well as graduate-level course work at the University of Judaism (now American Jewish University) in Los Angeles and Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He is an alumnus of BCI (Brandeis Camp Institute). From 1967 to 1987, Ken conducted worship services and life-cycle events, taught in religious school classrooms, coached Bar and Bat-Mitzvah students, and created innovative youth, adult, and family programs at Congregation Beth Joseph (now BMH-BJ) in Denver, CO and Beth Israel Congregation in Greeley, CO. Concurrently, he enjoyed a 20-year career as an educator in the Denver Public Schools, as a choral music director, reading specialist, and Gifted & Talented educator. From 1987 to 1990, he served as Administrator of the Community High School of Jewish Studies, operated by the Colorado Agency for Jewish Education. From 1990 to 2008, Ken held executive positions at The Brandeis-Bardin Institute (now American Jewish University) in Brandeis, CA, in the areas of adult programs, administration, and operations. In 1991 he founded Gan Alonim Day Camp for young children, and in 1992 he brought Elderhostel (now Road Scholar) programs for seniors to Brandeis-Bardin, enabling thousands of seniors from throughout North America to enjoy week-long educational, recreational and spiritual experiences in a totally Jewish environment. On November 3, 2024, Ken was honored for his fourteen years of dedicated service to Congregation Beth Shalom and named its Madrikh Ruhani, Spiritual Guide. In this capacity, Ken plans to continue his active involvement with the religious and educational life of Beth Shalom and Coachella Valley’s Jewish Community. He continues to serve the community as a Hadassah Associate and with choral music activities at Sun City Shadow Hills, where he resides. |
MADRIKH RUḤANI
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