Rabbi Jay Sherwood

 
 
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About Rabbi Jay
Rabbi Jay Sherwood has served as Rabbi of Temple Shalom in Colorado Springs, CO (www.templeshalom.com) since 2017, previously serving as Rabbi of Congregation Emanu El in Redlands, California, the oldest Jewish community in Southern California. He also served as the Founding Rabbi of Adat Re'im, in Rancho Cucamonga, California, the Inland Empire’s first trans-denominational synagogue, leading the congregation for ten years.

Rabbi Jay received his Rabbinic Ordination and Master of Rabbinic Studies degree from the Academy for Jewish Religion, California, in Los Angeles. He also holds a Master of Arts in Religious Education degree from the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Jewish Studies at UCLA.

Rabbi Jay currently serves on the Va’ad (Executive Board) of the Rocky Mountain Rabbis & Cantors (RMRC). He is also involved in the greater Colorado Springs community. He is a Founding Member of the Pikes Peak Interfaith Coalition, and he serves on the Board of Directors of Bakhita Mountain Home, a rehabilitation home for adult survivors of human trafficking. Rabbi Jay is the current Chair of the Pikes Peak Early College Family Engagement Council and is the past Chair of the Colorado Springs Human Relations Commission. He also writes a quarterly column on spirituality for Pike’s Peak Newspapers and is an in-demand guest speaker throughout the city. Rabbi Jay is a member of the Academy for Jewish Religion California Clergy and Alumni Association (AJRCAA), and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). He is also a Life Member of the National Eagle Scout Association.

Before entering the rabbinate, Rabbi Jay enjoyed at twenty-plus year career in Jewish education, camping and music. He served in educational leadership positions at Temple Beth Hillel in North Hollywood, California; Temple Beth Israel in Pomona, California; and Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services in Los Angeles, California. He has worked at numerous Jewish camps and travel programs throughout the United States and Israel, including 14 summer programs and more than 300 Jewish camp retreat weekends. He spends time each summer as the visiting camp rabbi at Camp Mountain Chai in California’s San Bernardino Mountains. Rabbi Jay spent a year doing community service in Israel as part of the Otzma Jewish Service Corp; and he was selected to participate in the American Jewish World Service’s Rabbinic Students' Delegation to Ghana.

An accomplished multi-instrumentalist, composer and performer, music from Rabbi Jay’s CDs Sh'ma Koleinu and Wrapped Up In The Fringes has been heard from the stages of CAJE (Coalition for the Advancement in Jewish Education) to SiriusXM’s Radio Hanukkah. Rabbi Jay once worked on Main Street at Disneyland and claims to be the only rabbi in history to be a 3-time television game show champion (Rock 'n Roll Jeopardy, Trivial Pursuit, and Don't Forget the Lyrics!). In his spare time, Rabbi Jay enjoys playing music, attending concerts and theatre, cooking and traveling.

Rabbi Jay and his wife Lisa celebrate their anniversary each year on Erev Tu B'Av. They are blessed with two wonderful children.


Please see the "Hire Rabbi Jay" page for information about having Rabbi Jay officiate at a lifecycle ceremony or bringing a Concert or Jewish Education event to your community.