Rabbi

Photo by Donna Fisher: donnafisher.com

Rabbi Shoshanah Tornberg, RJE was ordained at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in New York in 2006. Her rabbinic thesis was entitled: “Feminine Acts in a Male World: God’s Tears and Man’s Tears in Rabbinic Discourse.” At HUC-JIR in New York, she also received her Masters in Hebrew Letters, and from the Rhea Hirsch School of Education at the Los Angeles campus of HUC-JIR she earned a Masters in Jewish Education. It was at the Rhea Hirsch School that Rabbi Tornberg gained a deep understanding of organizations and how they work most effectively. A lifelong Jewish educator, Rabbi Shoshanah has served communities in Steubenville, OH, Tustin, CA, Brooklyn, NY, Albany, NY, Sacramento, CA, and the Philadelphia area. She began her tenure here at KI in Allentown in July of 2023, and she serves as pastoral caregiver, service leader, teacher, educational leader, program coordinator, lifecycle leader, and moral and community voice.

Rabbi Shoshanah was born in Denver and lived most of her childhood and teen years in Kansas City and then Toronto. While still living in Canada, she received her Bachelor’s in English literature from the University of Western Ontario. Throughout the rabbi’s life, she has been a Reform Jew and spent much of her youth deeply involved in synagogue life and leadership.

Rabbi Tornberg relishes being a lifelong learner of Judaism. She cannot read enough! Shoshanah loves to dance, do art, go to museums, garden, hike, do yoga, play with her dogs, ride her bike, and spend time with her family: David, Elie, Ruthie, Elijah, and Ezra.