Teaneck—Rabbi Ezra Wiener, a beloved teacher and the mashgiach ruchani of the Torah Academy of Bergen County since 1999, will join Congregation Rinat Yisrael as assistant rabbi this fall. He replaces Rabbi Beni Krohn, who has been appointed rabbi of the Young Israel of Teaneck.
Rabbi Yosef Adler, Rinat Yisrael’s mara d’asra, has known Rabbi Wiener for the past 20 years, first as a teacher and colleague at TABC, where Rabbi Adler serves as principal, and then later as an RCBC colleague when Rabbi Wiener was rabbi of the Beis Midrash of Bergenfield (BMOB), which he oversaw for four years as the community grew from 30 to 100 families.
“Rabbi Wiener is a wonderful talmid chacham and an experienced pulpit rabbi. He is a genuinely caring person. He is a ba’al middot par excellance. I know he will make an enormous contribution to Rinat, and contribute tremendously to our mission,” said Adler.
Wiener said he is looking forward to working with Rabbi Adler in a new capacity. He explained that what has made his experience at TABC so positive is the presence of Rabbi Adler and his keen insight into proper chinuch for high school students. Wiener, in addition to serving as masgiach ruchani, is also director of Israel guidance, but his roles are not just administrative: He spends most of the day in the classroom teaching a variety of subjects including Gemara, Mishna, Chumash, Navi, and Thoughts on Tefilla.
“I feel comfortable at TABC because I share Rabbi Adler’s philosophy of teaching. We challenge students to think for themselves and to experience the depth of Talmud study through their own involvement in developing the positions of the great minds in the Talmud and its commentaries,” said Wiener. “With some slight variations, we run our classrooms almost identically and I have had the utmost respect for Rabbi Adler over the years as a mentor and rebbe. I really look at my joining Rinat as an opportunity to continue to assist Rabbi Adler in spreading Torah with his unique and captivating style of instruction, to inspire the members of the shul through meaningful messages gleaned from the weekly parsha, and to establish close relationships with the ever-growing number of families that have joined and continue to join the shul,” he said.
By taking up this post, Rabbi Wiener is not joining a new community, as he already lives in the neighborhood. “As an affiliate member for 15 years, I cannot remember a Shabbat or Yom Tov at Rinat where I did not receive a warm welcome from various members of the shul. I am privileged to begin playing the role of assistant rabbi of this welcoming family,” said Wiener.
Wiener added that he has always shared Rinat’s mission and that the fit is a natural one. “I have always been impressed with Rinat’s dedication to advanced Torah study and scholarship, Hachansat Orchim, youth programming, community chesed projects, and tzedakah,” he said. Rabbi Wiener said he looks forward to delivering a drasha each Shabbat, as well as assisting Rabbi Adler in fulfilling his many duties of derashot, shiurim, and life-cycle events when he is away, offering various shiurim in the evenings in a series format over the course of the year, and providing spiritual and halachic guidance for members and their children.
“I look forward to establishing lasting bonds with Rinat families, parents and children, together with my wife, Adina, through Shabbat meals together, melaveh malka gatherings, Friday night tisches in various homes throughout our community, and through spiritual guidance,” said Wiener.
Rabbi Wiener’s wife, Adina, is a pediatric occupational therapist who works for the New York City Department of Education at PS 48 in Washington Heights. She is also the administrator of Camp Dina (Dora Golding’s girls’ camp). The Wieners have six children, three boys and three girls, ranging in age from 20 to 8.
By Elizabeth Kratz
