Meet the Rabbis!
We are Rabbi Dan Ornstein and Rabbi Rena Kieval, rabbis of Congregation Ohav Shalom. We are committed to helping create a synagogue community dedicated to serious engagement with Jewish practice, study and worship. We strive to make this community welcoming and supportive, one that offers opportunities to Jews of all ages, backgrounds and observance levels to enhance their connection to Jewish life and to the Jewish people. We are proud of our rabbinic team model, in which we are both deeply involved in all aspects of synagogue life and in addressing the religious, educational, life cycle and pastoral needs of our community. We share responsibility for all of these, and either of us is available as a resource in any of these areas. At the same time, each of us cultivates specific areas of focus. Rabbi Dan serves as the mara d’atra, the final authority on matters of congregational religious practice. He is also the primary rabbinic guide for the congregation's long range planning process, and has numerous responsibilities in the oversight of B'Yachad, our congregation's joint religious school program with Temple Israel. Rabbi Kieval oversees our adult education programming, including the Adult Bar and Bat Mitzvah program, is the primary rabbinic guide for the Yad Yonatan chesed committee and other Social Action committees, and of many aspects of the day-to-day ritual life of the congregation.
Dan Ornstein has been rabbi of Congregation Ohav Shalom since 1994. He received a BA in American social history from Columbia University's School of General Studies, as well as a BA in Talmud and Rabbinics from the Jewish Theological Seminary. He went on to complete his rabbinic ordination and an MA in Jewish Education from JTS. Rabbi Ornstein's professional interests include Jewish education and educational programming, pastoral care and counseling, Jewish spiritual direction, the study and creative application of Jewish law, and the use of creative writing for educational purposes in the congregational setting. When he is not working as a rabbi, Rabbi Dan enjoys reading and creative writing, listening to music and hiking. He is the author of the forthcoming children's book, Four Bright Lights: A Hanukkah Tale of the Underground Railroad, (Ben Yehuda Press). He is married to Marian Alexander, and they are the proud parents of Joseph, Shulamit, and Vered.
Rena H. Kieval has served for many years as a spiritual, educational and pastoral leader at Congregation Ohav Shalom and in the wider Albany community. She was ordained in 2006 by the Academy for Jewish Religion in New York. Prior to becoming full-time rabbi at Ohav Shalom, Rabbi Kieval served for seven years as the staff Jewish chaplain at Albany Medical Center, where she received formal chaplaincy training. In her earlier professional life, Rabbi Kieval earned a Masters degree in Social Work from Boston University and worked in the field of mental health. She later served as Jewish Family Educator at Hebrew Academy of the Capital District, implementing programs there, at Ohav Shalom and at other area synagogues. She was especially involved in creating innovative worship services for adults and children. Together with her husband, Shalom, Rabbi Kieval helped establish Ohav’s Yad Yonatan chesed committee, named in memory of their son Jonathan. This group supports those facing illness and bereavement, and oversees the synagogue’s hevra kadisha, the traditional sacred burial society. Rabbi Rena’s interests include writing, reading, bicycling, kayaking and music. She holds a BA in English and Philosophy from Barnard College, and has published journal articles related to Jewish text and to pastoral issues, as well as a book chapter coauthored with Rabbi Ornstein about clergy and healing. She and Shalom are the proud parents of David (and his wife Emily) and Daniel Lev.
Be In Touch With Us
Everyone has the right to live in a home that is physically, emotionally, and spiritaully supportive and safe. Our congre¬gation is committed to the basic Jewish teachings of V’Ahavta L’Reyacha Kamocha: loving one’s neighbor as oneself, and Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof: justice, justice shall you pursue. In our congre¬gational home, we strive at all times to create an atmosphere in which all people - young and old, men and women - feel safe, show each other the highest respect and care, and work together to build out sacred community for everyone’s benefit. Your rabbi want to help you and your family feel nurtured and secure in our own home and in your congregational home. Be in touch with us...if we can help you bring more Jewish practice and values into your home. Be in touch with us...if we can help guide you with spiritual concerns. Be in touch with us...if you are facing ( or you know of someone facing) issues of substance abuse, domestic violence, sexual abuse, harassment or bullying, a mental health crisis, or other concerns, within or outside of the congregation. We are here to listen compassionately, to pray with you, to guide you towards resources for other professional help, and when needed and appropriate, to take action. Please contact Rabbi Ornstein at ohavrab@gmail.com or Rabbi Kieval at ravrena@gmail.com