Contact Rabbi Adler at 609-896-4977
Rabbi Benjamin Adler has been the spiritual leader of Adath Israel Congregation since 2014. He is passionate about being present and guiding individuals and families through the sweetness, sorrows, challenges, and opportunities of Jewish life. Drawing on the ancient wisdom of the tradition and the progressive values of modern Judaism, he has spent years building and sustaining warm, committed, and caring communities that support each member as they find their own unique spiritual path.
A graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York City where he earned a master’s degree in Jewish Philosophy, Rabbi Adler also studied at the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, he graduated cum laude from Columbia University with a BA in History.
Before entering rabbinical school, he worked for Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in New York City and spent time working in the digital media world. Rabbi Adler has served congregations in Rockaway, New Jersey, Pittsfield, Massachusetts and Greenport, New York.
He has served as president of the Board of Rabbis of Princeton Mercer Bucks, vice president of the New Jersey Rabbinical Assembly, on the board of trustees of the Gottesman RTW Academy, and on the Religious Pluralism committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest New Jersey. Rabbi Adler co-founded the Rockaway Interfaith Community, worked with the New Jersey Muslim-Jewish Solidarity Committee and Clergy of Lawrence Township, and helped plan a conference that trained Conservative rabbis in the skills of community organizing.
When he is not teaching, preaching, and leading his congregation, Rabbi Adler can probably be found following the San Antonio Spurs, reading, watching a good movie or TV show, fixing things around the house, or on the slopes in the winter. He is married to Lisa Adler and they have three children: Ronen, Jonah, and Miya.
Photo credit: Mike Schwartz
Click on the title of the articles below to read on Rabbi Adler’s website
- Between Doubt and Certainty May 8, 2025The news of a new pope is joyous for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. For us outside observers, it is a moment of curiosity as we guess who might be selected and the politics involved. Many were surprised to see Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost chosen the first American pope, taking the name Leo XIV. In […]
- Someone Else’s Story April 24, 2025Today is Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, when we consider the story our oppression, murder, and extermination by Nazi Germany. Unfortunately, it is not the only time in our history when people have sought to destroy us, but the Holocaust had a unique 20th century scale to it. Never before were the Jewish people attacked […]
- Different Ways to Different People April 17, 2025The great medieval sage, Maimonides, wrote in his Sefer HaMitzvot, that the 157th commandment is that we are obligated to tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt on the night of the seder, crucially, “according to the clarity of the teller.” Maimonides suggests that it is not merely enough to tell the tale but […]
- On the Defensive April 10, 2025Sometimes politicians wade reluctantly into controversial topics; sometimes they jump in with both feet. Recently, two central New Jersey leaders found themselves examples of each. First, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, who represents some members of Adath although the synagogue itself is not in her district, held a press conference in Washington, D.C. to condemn Israel […]
- Vote MERCAZ Today April 3, 2025An election is going on right now for the World Zionist Congress, and I hope you will vote for MERCAZ, the party of the Conservative movement. So many of us struggle with the rise of antisemitism and all the problems facing Israel today. We feel helpless and sometimes hopeless but voting for the parliament of […]
- No Simple Story March 28, 2025As the saying goes: what’s old is new again. When I was an undergraduate at Columbia University in the 1990s, our campus was roiled by antisemitism. Granted, our battles didn’t make the front page of the New York Times or solicit action from the White House, but they did cause significant consternation among students. One […]
- True Friends March 20, 2025One of the most contested issues of the day is whether you can be anti-Zionist but not antisemitic. On one side are those that say opposition to Zionism is a political position which has no animus toward the Jewish people. In fact, historically, there were many Jewish groups opposed to Zionism, and today you can […]
- Words of Peace and Truth March 13, 2025At a community Purim celebration today, someone asked me: “How did the Jews know that Haman made a decree to kill them?” Just because King Achashverosh and his top advisor decide to commit genocide doesn’t mean everyone would find out. There was no social media, internet, or even newspapers to communicate the evil intent. Instead, […]
- Vibe Shift March 6, 2025Since the presidential election last November, commentators have noted a “vibe shift” in American political discourse. Right wing positions on issues like immigration and diversity, equity, and inclusion have gained currency. Some have felt freer to criticize the liberal consensus that has dominated American society. This same trend extends to the Jewish world as well. […]
- Scholastic Fantasy February 28, 2025The fantasy of many scholars of Judaic studies is to discover an important lost text that will shed new light on Jewish history and thought. In the 19th and 20th centuries, researchers did exactly that. In addition to the famous cases of the Cairo Geniza and the Dead Sea Scrolls, intrepid collectors who scoured dusty […]