Fort Lee—After 36 years of service to Fort Lee and to Bergen County, Rabbi Neil Winkler and Rebbitzen Andrea Winkler will be leaving their community to realize their lifelong dream of making Aliyah. The Young Israel of Fort Lee will be hosting a dinner in their honor at the Fort Lee Doubletree Hotel on Sunday, June 22, beginning at 5 p.m.
Rabbi Neil N. Winkler, founding Rabbi of Young Israel of Fort Lee, arrived in Fort Lee in 1978 after having served as spiritual leader of congregations in Cincinnati, Trenton, and Lawrenceville. A musmach of Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary in 1972, Rabbi Winkler earned his Master’s degree in Biblical Studies from the Bernard Revel Graduate School in that same year and previously his BA in history from Yeshiva University in 1969.
Well known and respected in both the United States and Israel—as a dynamic lecturer, consummate educator, author, and spiritual leader— Rabbi Winkler’s accomplishments and talents are numerous. In addition to his duties at the Young Israel of Fort Lee, Rabbi Winkler is part of the Speaker’s Bureau of the National Council of Young Israel and serves as the Coordinator of Bible Studies in the Moriah School of Englewood. Rabbi Winkler currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Rabbinical Council of America and is the president of the Rabbinical Council of Bergen County. Among his educational accomplishments, Rabbi Winkler has coached almost 30 American champions of the International Bible Contest.
During these past years, Rabbi Winkler and his wife have built an Orthodox community of one synagogue with 20 families into one that now boasts three synagogues, an eruv, a mikvah, and regular daily morning and evening services.
An active Zionist, Rabbi Winkler is involved in numerous organizations that support the State of Israel and has been honored by the Bet-El Yeshiva, the National Council of Young Israel, Yeshiva University, and NCSY. Rabbi Winkler recently published his first book, Bringing the Prophets to Life, which has been received with great interest and enthusiasm.
As Rebbitzen of the Young Israel of Fort Lee for the past 36 years, Andrea Winkler has partnered with her husband to build the Orthodox community of Fort Lee. She helped found the Sisterhood of the congregation and has run the Purim Shalach Manot campaign for over 20 years. A committed worker in expanding Jewish values, Andrea was active in the establishment of the Fort Lee mikvah where she still serves as advisor and supporter. Recognizing the unfortunate need for support of victims of abuse within the Orthodox community, Andrea helped found Project S.A.R.A.H., New Jersey’s statewide resource for Jewish victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse, and continues to lecture about this topic to local groups.
The Rabbi and Andrea are proud parents and grandparents to five grown children and nine grandchildren.
