Our Rabbi

Rabbi Faith Joy Dantowitz

Rabbi Faith Joy Dantowitz (she/her) is honored to be Congregation Emeth’s Rabbi since 2020. Building relationships is an integral part of her rabbinate. She is passionate about social justice, pastoral care, teaching children and adults, leading services and finding joy.

A New Jersey native, she grew up in a Reform Jewish household and loves being Jewish. Before pursuing the rabbinate, she followed her math and science interests to explore engineering which made it even clearer the rabbinate was her path.

She previously served as Associate Rabbi at Temple B’nai Abraham in Livingston, NJ from 2010-2020. From 2004-2010, she was the Regional Director of Admissions and Recruitment at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in NY. Her first rabbinic position was as a rabbi at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in Short Hills, NJ, 1993-2004. Rabbi Dantowitz was ordained from HUC-JIR in 1993 (NY). She graduated from University of Pennsylvania’s Moore School of Electrical Engineering and Applied Science in 1987 with a B.A.S. in Systems Engineering.

Rabbi Dantowitz is a longtime member and current Secretary of the Women’s Rabbinic Network (WRN). WRN has consistently worked to promote the personal and professional growth of female identifying rabbis and rabbinic students within the Reform Movement. She is also on the Executive Board of the Northern California Board of Rabbis which represents and supports rabbis from across the denominations. She is part of the Interfaith Clergy Alliance of Morgan Hill/Gilroy and served as facilitator. She represents CRAGSJ (Cantors and Rabbis of Greater San Jose) on the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of the Bay Area’s Advisory Council.

She is a global justice fellow with American Jewish World Service (AJWS) and traveled to Guatemala with them in 2015.  Rabbi Dantowitz is a Balfour Brickner Fellow and a JOIN for Justice Rabbinic Fellow. She is a chaver with T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. She is a Hevraya member of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality (IJS).

In 2018, she received her honorary Doctor of Divinity from HUC-JIR for 25 years in the rabbinate. She is married to David Dantowitz and they have four adult sons: Ezra, Benjamin, Samuel, and Daniel, and a dog, Lily Rose. She loves hiking at the Pacific Coast and in the Redwood Forests, reading, musical theater, and ice cream.

Rabbi Dantowitz can be reached at rabbi@emeth.net.

Rabbi Debbie Israel, Rabbi Emerita

Rabbi Debbie Israel became Rabbi Emerita of Congregation Emeth in 2020, after serving as Rabbi of the Congregation for 13 years.

She received her smicha (Rabbinic ordination) from the Academy for Jewish Religion (AJR-CA) in Los Angeles, a transdenominational Rabbinic school that trains its students to serve all Jews and Jewish movements.

In addition to her rabbinic knowledge and training, Rabbi Israel has an extensive understanding of the synagogue, expertise working with volunteers, and a lifetime career as a Jewish educator. As a professional and as a volunteer, she served in many Jewish institutions, including being president of her 500-member synagogue, Congregation Brith Shalom in Houston, Texas. Prior to entering Rabbinical school, she was Regional Director of Jewish Women International and co-publisher, managing editor and writer of Noah’s Ark, an international newspaper for Jewish children, which had over a million readers around the world.

As Rabbi of Congregation Emeth, Rabbi Israel was responsible for creating innovative educational structures for our Religious Schools and creative prayer services.  She was one of the organizers of the South County Interfaith Clergy Association and known in the community as an active leader of interfaith activities and social justice causes.  Rabbi Israel continues teaching adult education classes in the greater Silicon Valley and Bay Area, and offers her services as a spiritual counselor.

Rabbi Israel received many honors and awards, including: “Outstanding Alumnus” (B’nai B’rith Girls International Award); “Distinguished Service to Jewish Education” (the Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Houston); and “Rising Star Award for Outstanding Volunteer Achievement” (B’nai B’rith Women International).

Rabbi Israel can be reached at  rabbiisrael@emeth.net.