Rabbi Dov Taylor

Shir Shalom proudly welcomes Dov Taylor as the first full-time rabbi of the Woodstock Area Jewish Community. A native New Yorker, Rabbi Taylor comes to us with a wealth of experience, having served congregations in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and most recently Highland Park, Illinois. He is a compassionate listener and counselor, an inspiring teacher and a distinguished scholar, having taught at Brandeis University, New England College and the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Jerusalem, and translated the first Hebrew novel (Joseph Perl's Revealer of Secrets , 1819).

Rabbi Taylor's commitment to Jewish youth led him to establish Torah Corps- an intensive summer experience in Jewish living and learning for teenagers from the United States and Canada, many of whom have become rabbis, academics, educators and Jewish leaders. He is also an active supporter of affordable housing initiatives and Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.

Dov is married to Judith Ilson Taylor, a writer, teacher and visual artist. The Taylors have two children- daughter, Yael and a son, Jesse. They are delighted to have "come home" to New England and to add their voices to our Shir Shalom, our Song of Peace.