Alan Silverstein is an American

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

rabbi, lecturer, writer, and the spiritual leader of Congregation Agudath Israel in

Caldwell, New Jersey Caldwell is a borough located in northwestern Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about west of New York City and north-west of Newark, the state's most populous city. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's populat ...

. He has served as Vice President of the National Council of Synagogues, President of the International Rabbinical Assembly of the Conservative Movement, President of the

Masorti Olami Masorti Olami (also known as The World Council of Synagogues, Inc.) is the international umbrella organization for Masorti Judaism, founded in 1957 with the goal of making Masorti Judaism a force in the Jewish world. Masorti Olami is affiliated ...

, and President of Mercaz Olami.

Education

Alan Silverstein was raised in the

Overbrook Park Overbrook Park is a neighborhood in the West Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in the 1940s on the site of a former farm known as Supio's farm, offering new housing for returning GIs and their famil ...

neighborhood of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. He graduated from Central High School in 1966 and went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to ...

in 1970 and a Master of Arts degree in Jewish History from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...

in 1973. He was ordained as a Rabbi at the

Jewish Theological Seminary of America The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City, New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism and a major center for academic scholarship in Jewish studi ...

in 1975 and received a Ph.D. in Jewish History from the Seminary's Institute for the Advanced Study in Humanities in 1989.

Career

From 1975-1979, Silverstein served as rabbi at Congregation Tifereth Israel in

Neshaminy, Pennsylvania Neshaminy is an unincorporated community in Warrington Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. Neshaminy is located at the intersection of Pennsylvania Route 611 and Pennsylvania Route 132 Pennsylvania Route 132 (PA&nbs ...

. He became rabbi at Congregation Agudath Israel in Caldwell, New Jersey in 1979. In 2018, Silverstein announced his plans to retire as rabbi of Congregation Agudath Israel by 2021. Silverstein has written and published three books and maintains a blog with the

Times of Israel ''The Times of Israel'' is an Israeli multi-language online newspaper that was launched in 2012. It was co-founded by Israeli journalist David Horovitz, who is also the founding editor, and American billionaire investor Seth Klarman.

Offices held

* President, West Essex Clergy Association * President, MetroWest Board of Rabbis * President, Region of the Rabbinical Assembly New Jersey Region * President, Coalition of Religious Leaders * President of The International Rabbinical Assembly of the Conservative Movement (1993-1995) * President of Masorti Olami (2000 - 2005) * Vice President, National Council of Synagogues * Member, National Rabbinic Cabinet of the United Jewish Appeal * Chair, Foundation for Masorti Judaism in Israel (2010-2014) * President, Mercaz Olami (2016- )

Published works

* ''Alternatives to Assimilation: The Response of Reform Judaism to American Culture, 1840–1930'' (1994) * ''It All Begins With A Date: Jewish Concerns About Intermarriage'' (1995) * ''Preserving Judaism in Your Family After Intermarriage Has Occurred'' (1995)

References

External links

Agudath Israel website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silverstein, Alan Living people American Conservative rabbis Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American rabbis 21st-century American rabbis