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
- Not a Four-Letter Word May 29, 2026In the 1988 presidential election, George H.W. Bush employed a strategy of turning the word “liberal” into a slur that he connected to his opponent, Michael Dukakis. In Bush’s formulation, liberals were soft on crime and supporters of big government. Bush was so successful that he turned what had been a relatively neutral term into a four-letter word. 38 years later, in […]
- Exhausting and Necessary May 15, 2026Next week, the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) will hold its commencement, featuring an address by Isaac Herzog, the president of the State of Israel. Some students have written a letter objecting to his presence, which has in turn led to a major hullabaloo within the Conservative movement. Was it right for the students to write […]
- We Are Family May 7, 2026The Jews are different. We are a religion but also a nation. We are an ethnicity, but you can join even if you weren’t born a Jew. We trace our roots back to the Land of Israel but have made homes for ourselves all over the world. One way to reconcile these contradictions is to […]
- The Offending Kippah April 30, 2026Freedom of expression is the core of every open society. If people are not allowed to say what they believe without fear of reprisal, how can other rights, such as the freedom of religion, protection of minorities, and respect for the individual survive? We express our views in many ways, including through speech, but also […]
- Fantasy Land April 23, 2026Our fantasies hold a powerful sway over our imagination. When life does not go the way we want, one form of escape is to conjure a world that doesn’t exist, although we wish it did. There is nothing wrong with fantasizing, of course, as long as it doesn’t take over. We can dream, but eventually […]
- Double-Edged Sword April 16, 2026With a ceasefire in place as the United States tries to negotiate an end to the war with Iran, the question on many people’s mind is “who won and who lost?” The challenge with this question is that there are tactical military victories and strategic political victories. Sometimes one can win the former but lose […]
- Do Not Walk Away March 26, 2026Recently I decided to pick up a core text of Jewish studies that I happened to never have read: Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism by Gershom Scholem, considered the founder of the academic study of Jewish mysticism. Despite the fact that I took classes on the subject in rabbinical school, I somehow avoided the work, […]
- Guardians March 12, 2026Since the Tree of Life shooting in 2018, many synagogues, including ours, have increased security around their buildings. One of the most important, and costliest, ways to do that is by hiring guards. Fortunately, we have been able to absorb this expense with funding from government grants which hopefully will continue. The need for security […]
- Deal or War March 5, 2026For the first time in history, Israel and the United States are fighting a war together. Since it’s founding, Israel has mostly fought independently. The exception was the 1956 Suez War in conjunction with Britian and France which was a military success for Israel but a diplomatic disaster for the European nations. For decades Israel […]
- Threats Abroad and at Home February 27, 2026Throughout our history, threats to the Jewish people have come from both the outside and the inside. Our enemies will take any opportunity to seek our oppression and annihilation. At the same time, inter-Jewish battles between factions, sects, and denominations can be vicious and divisive. Today we find ourselves having to deal with both external […]