Rabbi Jack Gabriel has created music and been closely tied to Judaism all of his life. A child of Holocaust survivors, he was born in a refugee camp in Italy, and came to America when he was three. He attended Yeshiva Zichron Moshe, Bronx High School of Science, and the City College of New York. Afterwards, he had successful careers as a singer/songwriter for Columbia Records, and as a music host and producer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

In his own words: "In my life, spirituality and music have always been connected. My parents went through so much horror, but I still felt, at an early age, that Judaism was about beauty and faith and not about suffering. Even as a working artist, I was never far from my Jewish roots. I included Hebrew songs, and references to my personal spiritual practices, in my concerts and during my ten years as 'Dean of The Obscure' at the CBC. My son David, who is ten, thinks my biggest credits are that I met Bob Marley, sang on four recordings with Kermit the Frog, and produced a Canadian-Grammy-winning Children's Album of the Year. For me, I'm proud that I had the chutzpah to combine my music and my attachment to my tradition to become a Rabbi."

Rabbi Jack studied at P'nai Or in Philadelphia, in a Jewish Renewal (cross-denominational) setting, under the mentorship of the renowned Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, and received his ordination in 1990.

Since then, he has served many kinds of Communities, including Temple Beth Judah (Conservative) in Wildwood, NJ; Congregation Har Hashem (Reform), in Boulder, CO; Congregation B'nai Vail (Independent) in Vail, CO; and was the Founding Spiritual Leader of the Woodstock Jewish Congregation (Independent), in Woodstock, NY. For ten years, he was the Rabbi of Congregation Har Shalom (Cross-Denominational) in Fort Collins, Colorado, and recorded three of his nine albums and CD's there.

"To me, Judaism should be about enhancing life. I don't think a person's religion should tie him or her up in knots. Rather, it should lead us to live more fully, happily and authentically. My greatest joys these days are ordaining new cross-denominational rabbis in the Renewal movement and teaching at Conferences and Synagogues, to Jews from A to Z ('assimilated' to 'zealous'). If we can see past our own denominational differences, then the tolerance we model can perhaps help heal others of sectarian violence."

In the 1980s, Rabbi Jack was involved in the struggle to rescue the Jews of Ethiopia, and served as President of the Canadian Association for Ethiopian Jewry. In 2004, he was briefly Scholar-in-Residence and Senior Rabbi of the Liberal Community of Capetown, South Africa. "In both of those countries, I came to see once again that music is a soul connector between people, and is a magical way to overcome our sense of isolation."

"Now, as I begin a new life in California with my loving partner Pamela Sachs, I look forward to getting to know our county's Jews, Christians, intermarrieds, minorities and visitors. I see Congregation Shir Shalom as being an inclusive and welcoming center for culture and spirit, and I would be honored to contribute my share to that effort as its Rabbi."

Download some of Rabbi Jack's music from the Joshua Thorton Bar Mitzvah album below. (You may need to install Quicktime to listen.)