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Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers

Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers has served as the Rabbi and Cantor for the Tree of Life in Pittsburgh since the summer of 2017. He moved to the City of Bridges after spending decades in ministry in New Jersey and Long Island. He received a BA from Rutgers, an MA in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary and studied privately with Cantor Zvi Aroni before graduating from the Cantorial School of The Jewish Theological Seminary of America. 

After the horrific morning of October 27, 2018, when a heavily armed gunman began a murderous rampage in the Tree of Life, Rabbi Myers—who survived the attack—became the face of the tragedy. Since then, he has set about sending the key message that love is stronger than hate. Rabbi Myers contends that a lack of understanding of our neighbors leads to fear and sometimes loathing, which can lead to acts of violence. Rabbi Myers believes that if we are ever to remove the "H word" from our society, it must start with pledging not to use that word in speech, just as he has done in honor of the 11 lives lost at the Tree of Life. 

Rabbi Myers is a 2019 recipient of the Simon Wiesenthal Center Medal of Valor, given out to those who exemplify the good deeds of outstanding individuals who honor mankind and whose courage and bravery shine a light in the darkest of places. Because of his service and actions during and after the Tree of Life massacre, Rabbi Myers received the medal which is inscribed: “He who saves a single life, it is as if he has saved an entire world.” 

Rabbi Myers also received Rabbinic Ordination from Mesivta Adath Wolkowisk. He organized the June 1998 gathering of nearly 1,000 children from the New York/New Jersey area to celebrate Israel’s 50th Anniversary in Central Park under the auspices of the 50th Anniversary Gathering of the Cantors Assembly. Rabbi Myers has served as a trustee on its Executive Council of the Cantors Assembly and chair of its Membership Committee, and is currently the Senior Vice-President. He also served as a trustee on the Executive Board of the Jewish Educators Assembly and co-chair of the Membership Committee. He was a board member on the National Education Commission of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and the National Deliberation Team for Project Etgar, the new curriculum for the middle school that is a joint project of the United Synagogue and the Melton Institute. He also served on the Advisory Board of the Institute for Congregational School Principals Advisory Board. 

Rabbi Myers was the recipient of a Schechter Award for his interfaith Evening of Harmony that commemorates the Holocaust and awards for synagogue and family programming. He was a visiting lecturer at The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and has served as chair of the Downbeach Ministerium and the Interfaith Clergy Council. In 2018, he received an honorary doctorate in Jewish Music from The Jewish Theological Seminary, and an honorary doctorate of divinity from Washington & Jefferson College. He has also been privileged to receive the Heroes designation from CNN, a Rescuer of Humanity medal from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Rescuer of Humanity from Values in Action, the John E. McGrady Award for Community Service from the Heinz Foundation, and the Ronald H. Brown Leadership Award from the Urban League. He has testified before both Houses of Congress, participated in many gatherings in the White House, and has spoken throughout the United States on the proliferation of H speech. 

Messages From the Rabbi

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		                                    may it be a better year		                                </span>
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		                                	Rabbi Jeffrey Myers		                                </span>
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		                                	Thursday, Oct 10th		                                </span>
		                            		                            	                            	
		                            <span class="slider_description"><p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">I know the look; I’ve seen it before. Many times. Utter sadness. You try to smile, but the muscles just do not cooperate. Many times, over the nearly six years, I have seen that face, and I saw it last night. A communal commemoration of the 10.7 massacre in Israel was held outdoors, and I estimated that approximately 1,000 people...</span>
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		                                    coincidence?		                                </span>
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		                                	Rabbi Jeffrey Myers		                                </span>
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		                                	Thursday, Sep 26th		                                </span>
		                            		                            	                            	
		                            <span class="slider_description"><p>Throughout the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses consistently expresses his concern that this new generation of Israelites will stray from God and suffer the consequences. It is not that God might have left them, but rather they abandoned God. Returning to God will also restore God’s favor. And the word for returning? <i>Teshuvah.  </i>This week’s Torah portion mentions the word twice, and commentators have offered a meaningful explanation...</span>
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		                                    why is this month different from all other months?		                                </span>
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		                                	Rabbi Jeffrey Myers		                                </span>
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		                                	Thursday, Sep 19th		                                </span>
		                            		                            	                            	
		                            <span class="slider_description"><p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">We are in the middle of the final month of the Jewish calendar, the month of <i>Elul</i>. For Rabbis and Cantors particularly, it is a very busy month on so many levels. The Rabbi part of me is crafting four sermons for <i>Rosh Hashanah</i> (two evening and two daytime), two sermons for<i> Yom Kippur</i>, and I...</span>
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Thu, October 10 2024 8 Tishrei 5785