The Belle Mead Kehilat Shalom temple has appointed Jacob Best Adler, known to the congregation as “Rabbi Jake” as its new Rabbi, replacing Susan Falk, who stepped down after 11 years to pursue a career opportunity in New York.
Adler is a graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia. Prior to entering rabbinical school, Adler worked as a case manager at a Jewish social services agency in Chicago, ran activities at Jewish summer camps, and worked at the Union for Reform Judaism’s national office in New York.
Adler is best known for co-writing “The Hamilton Haggadah” together with a fellow classmate at rabbinical college. The two rewrote Lin-Manuel Miranda’s famous songs to tell the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. The project went viral received national media coverage in 2016. The following year, they created an actual Hamilton Haggadah for a Passover Seder, describing the rituals using Hamilton’s songs, and again received widespread media attention.
“We are thrilled to welcome Rabbi Jake to our CKS family. Rabbi Jake brings a strong spiritual presence as well as a family-oriented focus. His kind demeanor and commitment to education and social action are great assets,” said Congregation Kehilat Shalom president Steve Weinstein.
