RABBI STEVE FINLEY
RABBI STEVE FINLEY
Shalom! It was with great pleasure that I became the rabbi of Congregation Shir Shalom in 2014. Over the past twelve years, it has been an incredible gift to be a part of helping to build Shir Shalom into a thriving community, becoming the center for Jewish life in Sonoma.
I was raised in Southern California and reared in the Conservative Movement. My Jewish identity flourished as a child, and upon graduating from high school, I left for Israel to explore my roots. On my twentieth birthday, I obtained Israeli citizenship and settled into kibbutz life in the beautiful Jezreel Valley. After a few years, I began my higher education, earning a Bachelor’s in Linguistics and English Literature, as well as acquiring teaching credentials. I taught elementary, middle, and high school English on various kibbutzim and in Arab Christian and Arab Muslim villages, towns, and cities. During those years, I met my wife to be, Yaffa, and we married in 1996, and we are blessed with three children.
Our family moved to Southern California after my roughly twenty years in Israel, and I immediately began working in the Los Angeles Jewish community as I furthered my education. Within a few years, I had earned my MA in Jewish education at the American Jewish University. From there, I enrolled in rabbinical school, and in 2009, I received my ordination at the Academy for Jewish Religion, CA.
My first rabbinic full-time position came a year later when I was hired by the Beth Israel Community Center in Mexico City, Mexico. I had an incredible experience, serving in full capacity in all aspects of the religious, spiritual, and communal life of the community. When this contracted time came to an end, I had the good fortune to receive an offer with Congregation Shir Shalom in Sonoma.
My wife Yaffa and I have a daughter, Ayelet, living in Los Angeles with her husband Michael and their three children. Our older son, Yonatan, lives in Israel. He and his wife, Roni, have two children. Our youngest, Ben, graduated from Sonoma Valley High School in 2017 and is currently living in Sonoma.
I was raised in Southern California and reared in the Conservative Movement. My Jewish identity flourished as a child, and upon graduating from high school, I left for Israel to explore my roots. On my twentieth birthday, I obtained Israeli citizenship and settled into kibbutz life in the beautiful Jezreel Valley. After a few years, I began my higher education, earning a Bachelor’s in Linguistics and English Literature, as well as acquiring teaching credentials. I taught elementary, middle, and high school English on various kibbutzim and in Arab Christian and Arab Muslim villages, towns, and cities. During those years, I met my wife to be, Yaffa, and we married in 1996, and we are blessed with three children.
Our family moved to Southern California after my roughly twenty years in Israel, and I immediately began working in the Los Angeles Jewish community as I furthered my education. Within a few years, I had earned my MA in Jewish education at the American Jewish University. From there, I enrolled in rabbinical school, and in 2009, I received my ordination at the Academy for Jewish Religion, CA.
My first rabbinic full-time position came a year later when I was hired by the Beth Israel Community Center in Mexico City, Mexico. I had an incredible experience, serving in full capacity in all aspects of the religious, spiritual, and communal life of the community. When this contracted time came to an end, I had the good fortune to receive an offer with Congregation Shir Shalom in Sonoma.
My wife Yaffa and I have a daughter, Ayelet, living in Los Angeles with her husband Michael and their three children. Our older son, Yonatan, lives in Israel. He and his wife, Roni, have two children. Our youngest, Ben, graduated from Sonoma Valley High School in 2017 and is currently living in Sonoma.
I invite you to find a few minutes to listen and view this Shabbat song, Adon Olam, from our liturgy. The idea of resting together the sacred, ancient Hebrew poem, “Adon Olam” (Master of the Universe), with the music of “In My Room”, a classic ballad of both loneliness and hope by the Beach Boys, came to me during a time of personal struggle during the pandemic. This “marriage” between my secular world and my religious/spiritual world proved to be a reprieve for me, and thus set me on an expressive journey. Once finishing the Hebrew vocal arrangements and harmonies, I turned to my good friend and colleague, Ari Moshe Wolfe, knowing that his creative musicianship and soulful insights would be the guiding craftsmanship needed to help produce a refined, final product. May you find our rendition of Adon Olam a comforting ballad of hope.
