Rabbi Yossi Feintuch , Ph.D., became the first fulltime Rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom in 1997, when the Congregation was still physically housed within the Hillel Jewish Student building. He has led the Congregation as we have grown and separated from the Hillel. Rabbi Feintuch has offered a variety of services to our small but diverse community, including “early” services, “brachah”, “Shabbat li-ladim” services for young children, and Soul Healing. He has developed inter-faith communal relations with local churches, including inter-congregational continuing education opportunities.
In addition to his many Congregational responsibilities, Rabbi Feintuch is a Lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO, teaching “Judaism” and “The Torah: a liberal view” (originally developed curricular course) to undergraduate and graduate students. He is a frequent contributor to the Op-Ed and Letters-to-the-Editor page of the two local daily newspapers, the Columbia Tribune and the Missourian.
Rabbi Feintuch’s education includes a Doctorate of Philosophy in United States History from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia awarded in 1985. Prior degrees include a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and History from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, a Master of Arts in History from New York University, New York, and a second Masters of Arts in Hebrew Letters from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati, Ohio. Rabbi Feintuch was ordained in 1994 by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati, Ohio. Rabbi Feintuch has maintained rabbinic posts since his ordination, including three years as leader of the United Congregation Mikve Israel-Emanuel, Curacao, a Sephardic-Portuguese congregation that is the oldest in the Western Hemisphere.