Rabbi Steven L. Silver

Rabbi Silver was born in Boston and raised in Anaheim, California. He is a product of Temple Beth Emet, then under the spiritual leadership of the late Rabbi Aaron J. Tofield and Cantor Phillip Modell. He graduated from UCLA in 1974 with a BA in Ancient Near Eastern History. He then went on to graduate study in Jewish history and is a credentialed teacher. He received his Masters in Hebrew Letters in 1982, and was ordained Rabbi by the Hebrew Union College -Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati, Ohio in 1984. He was assistant Rabbi at Congregation Emanu El in Houston, Texas for three years, and came to Temple Menorah in 1987. Rabbi Silver is the father of three children, Jesse, Lena and Talya, all of whom are currently university students active in Hillel and teaching in their local synagogues.

Rabbi Silver has brought great growth in membership, expansion of educational offerings and services, and a vision of a totally involved congregation serving the spiritual needs of Jews in our South Bay Community. His Hevrat Torah class will celebrate its 20th year of continuous Torah study and dialogue in the Fall of 2007. He has also instituted a weekly Shabbat morning service which will celebrate its 18th anniversary.

Over the years, under Rabbi Silver’s guidance, the focus of the congregation has been on Jewish education in all its permutations. Tuvia has grown to be the largest Jewish pre-school in the South Bay; the Day Camp, also the largest Jewish Day Camp in the South Bay, has delivered informal Jewish identity for over 10 years; the Religious School has the highest Bureau of Jewish Education accredidation, and adults enjoy classes and seminars in all aspects of Jewish cultural tradition.

Temple Menorah is truly the “education synagogue”.

Email: rabbi@templemenorah.org