Rabbi Shira Koch Epstein joins Congregation Beth Elohim with her husband Jason Epstein, their son Amichai (1) and their dog, Duffy.

Born in the Bronx, Rabbi Epstein was raised in a large and boisterous family in New Milford, CT and has lived in New York City for almost ten years. After years of public school, she attended Wesleyan University, studying Religion, Political Thought and Theater. As an undergraduate, she also attended Hebrew University and the Wesleyan Program in Israeli and Palestinian Studies in Jerusalem and Ramallah. Rabbi Epstein received her rabbinic ordination, MA in Hebrew Letters, and MA in Religious Education at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. She wrote her rabbinic and education thesis under the guidance of two of her mentors, Rabbi David Ellenson and Dr. Lisa Grant, entitled, "Towards a Liberal Zionist Philosophy and its Impact on Jewish Education." She has also studied at Machon Hartman in Jerusalem.

Gerald I. Weider served 28 years as the Rabbi of Congregation Beth Elohim. He joined Rabbi Eugene J. Sack in 1978, just as the Brownstone Revival movement hit the Park Slope section of Brooklyn. Rabbi Weider sparked the revitalization of Congregation Beth Elohim through innovative programming and services which met the needs of urban Jewish families. Under his leadership, Congregation Beth Elohim grew to become the largest and most active Reform synagogue in Brooklyn.

Rabbi Weider is a native of the Bronx. While growing up in the Bronx he attended Yeshiva Zichron Moshe.

During his teen age years, while living in Fort Lee New Jersey, Rabbi Weider became an active participant in Young Judaea, the Zionist Youth Movement sponsored by Hadassah. It was this involvement that ultimately lead Rabbi Weider to the Rabbinate. While in Young Judaea, Rabbi Weider lead local clubs, regional programs and attended numerous national camps and institutes. In college, at Rutgers University, Rabbi Weider continued to work for Young Judaea, becoming the President of their college age program and eventually representing Young Judaea at the World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem.