Our Clergy


Rabbi David Wilfond, Senior Rabbi

Rabbi David Wilfond joins Temple Shaaray Tefila as our Senior Rabbi on July 1, 2020. He comes to us with a wealth of Jewish experiences and achievements, spanning four continents and including congregational leadership, teaching, and pastoral care positions.

Rabbi Wilfond’s Jewish education and leadership began at an early age. As a teen growing up in Edison, NJ, he taught Hebrew School, led the Junior Congregation, and served as the Temple youth group president. While a student at Rutgers University, he taught simultaneously at two Hebrew schools and was a founding member of the Rutgers Progressive Zionist Caucus. After earning a B.S. with Honors, Rabbi Wilfond received a full scholarship for an M.S. at the University of Florida in Gainesville. There, he received the Hillel award for Outstanding Jewish Leader in the State of Florida.

Living in Israel has always been a priority. During high school, Rabbi Wilfond spent six months on a NFTY high school exchange program in Israel, which inspired him to spend three summers on staff at URJ Eisner Camp. Later, he spent a year on a work-study program milking cows on Kibbutz Tzora and, before attending Hebrew Union College to study for the Rabbinate, he worked for a year in the date fields of Lotan, the Reform Kibbutz. While in Rabbinical School, he also spent a year at Pardes, an egalitarian yeshiva in Jerusalem, and another year at Hebrew University as a visiting graduate student in Jewish studies.

After receiving Rabbinic Ordination and second MA from HUC, Rabbi Wilfond served for two years as the first reform Rabbi in Kiev, Ukraine. He returned to the US to serve as a congregational Rabbi in Boston for five years. In 2004, he made Aliyah and worked for six years at Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem as the Director of Admissions and Rabbi of the Murstein Synagogue.

Rabbi Wilfond is married to Deborah, a lawyer, yoga instructor, and writer of a weekly blog called "Mindful Torah." In 2010, they moved to her native England, where he served as the associate rabbi at the Liberal Jewish Synagogue in London, England. After their son Isaac was born there, the Wilfonds returned to Jerusalem where David worked for seven years as the Director of Education for NFTY in Israel. In addition to Isaac, they have two other children, Eliora and Rafi, who were born in Jerusalem. The Wilfonds also have a Hebrew speaking cat named Ruby. Rabbi Wilfond loves bike riding, ice cream, singing with others, and sharing a good conversation. He looks forward to being a part of the Temple Shaaray Tefila Community.

Rabbi Wilfond may be reached at the temple office or through his email at rabbiwilfond@templest.org.

Inés Kapustiansky , Cantor

Cantor Kapustiansky is Argentinian, and until recently the Cantor at Associação Religiosa Israelita, in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. She pursued her calling to become the second female Cantor to graduate from the Latin American Rabbinical Seminary in all of Latin America. She also took additional steps to become a member of the American Conference of Cantors. She has led High Holy Day services for several years at Port Jewish Center in Port Washington, NY and Shabbat Shira concerts and other services at Stephen Wise-Free Synagogue, Temple Israel in New York City, as well as temples in California and Mexico. 

Cantor Inés may be reached at the temple office or through her email at cantorines@templest.org.


Rabbi David E. Greenberg, Rabbi Emeritus

After 44 years as Senior Rabbi, Rabbi David E. Greenberg became Temple Shaaray Tefila's Rabbi Emeritus in July 2020.

Rabbi Greenberg grew up in San Francisco, California. He received a BA from the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1972, and a Master of Hebrew Letters degree from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles in 1976. After completing rabbinic school in New York, he became the “weekend student Rabbi” at Temple Shaaray Tefila in Bedford, New York. Rabbi Greenberg received his rabbinical ordination from HUC-JIR in 1978 and has been with our congregation ever since.

Temple Shaaray Tefila grew and flourished under his outstanding leadership. For so many, he is a source of inspiration and an example of dedication to our most worthy Jewish values and teachings.

Rabbi Greenberg lives in Mt. Kisco with his wife, Cindy, and they are blessed with three children, Alisa, Amanda, and Jared and grandchildren Mason, Harper, and Jagger.

Jewish Music to Soothe the Soul

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