Our Clergy

Rabbi Deborah A. Hirsch was welcomed as Temple Israel’s interim rabbi on July 1, 2020.

Previous to Temple Israel, Rabbi Hirsch was rabbi at The Village Temple. Though she is a native of Chicago, Rabbi Hirsch has spent her entire rabbinic career in the metro New York area. Previously she was senior rabbi at Congregation Shaaray Tefila, where she has served as clergy for the past six years.

In 2000, Rabbi Hirsch joined the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), where she was the regional director for the Greater New York Council of Reform Synagogues. In 2003, she became the URJ director of regions and supervised the Union’s regional structure throughout North America. Previously she served as rabbi at East End Temple in Manhattan for 15 years.  She has been active in the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) for many years, serving as finance officer, chair of the Nominating Committee, and chair of the Audit Committee. Rabbi Hirsch has also been a faculty member at Eisner, Crane Lake and Kutz Camps. She was ordained from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1982, received her Doctor of Ministry there in 1997, and was later awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity from the same institution in 2007.

Cantor Randall Schloss is proud to be joining Temple Israel of New Rochelle as its Cantor this July, 2016. While serving Temple Ohabei Shalom in Brookline, MA from 2007 to 2016, Cantor Schloss created an environment of engaging, participatory worship through a rich blend of musical traditions, including his own compositions. He is equally at ease chanting our most sacred and traditional High Holy Day melodies, conducting choirs at a soulful Gospel Shabbat, inspiring children in fun family worship, and leading diverse volunteer and professional musical ensembles in joyous and uplifting Shabbat worship.

After a varied career in music as a classical singer both on the opera stage and in concert, as a teacher of voice and music theory, and as a choral conductor and music director, Cantor Schloss began his journey into the world of Jewish music in 2000 as a singer and composer. His compositions combine traditional liturgy and modern poetry with musical elements of eastern European nusach and chazzanut, Israeli and Sephardic folk music, classical and twentieth century Reform repertoire and contemporary pop and jazz. He writes, “I hope that through a unique blend of styles, my music will engage the congregation as more than singers or listeners, but completely as a praying community.” Recently, his setting of Elohai N’tsor was published in Transcontinental Music’s Shabbat Anthology VIII.

He received his ordination and a Masters Degree in Sacred Music from the School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music from Cornell University and a Master of Music Degree in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music. He has served on the faculty of the Hebrew College School of Jewish Music in Boston and currently serves on the Executive Board of the American Conference of Cantors. In his spare time, he has been known to run the Boston and New York Marathons. Most of all, Cantor Schloss enjoys sharing his love of Judaism and music with his wife, soprano Leah Schloss, and their two daughters, Maya and Sonya (also sopranos!).

Contact Email: CantorSchloss@tinr.org.

Known as the “Cantor’s Cantor,” Helene Shifrin Reps serves as our Cantor Emerita.

Cantor Reps’ musical training began in Oakdale, Pennsylvania, where she pursued lessons in piano, theory, elocution, dance, and clarinet during her childhood. Her musical studies continued at the Carnegie Institute of Technology, now Carnegie Mellon. As a college junior, Cantor Reps made her performance debut with William Steinberg and the Pittsburgh Symphony, as soloist in the Mozart Requiem. After college, Cantor Reps taught music in Harlem, while studying with Jennie Tourel and performing in Manhattan. Again she sang with the Pittsburgh Symphony, as well as opera companies and ensembles. She toured both nationally and internationally with the Antiqua Players of the University of Pittsburgh.

Along with her husband, David, and their young family, Cantor Reps relocated to White Plains. She attended Hebrew Union College, and, in 1979 became one of the world’s first female cantors to graduate. The following year, she joined Temple Israel of New Rochelle, first as Cantorial assistant and then as Cantor and music director. She served Temple Israel actively for 17 years, bringing her beautiful voice and musicality, warmth and charm to our community.

While Cantor Reps retired in 1997, she remains active at Temple Israel. Cantor has four children and eight grandchildren.