Rabbi Leah Cohen was ordained from the Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion in June, 2000. Her rabbinical experience includes serving as a student rabbi during her five years of preparation in pulpits in Michigan, Kentucky, Illinois, Ohio, St. Thomas, USVI and Lyon, France.

Before deciding to become a rabbi, she worked for ten years in the field of international marketing management in the United States and overseas.

Rabbi Cohen joined Temple B’nai Chaim in July 2000 and moved to Connecticut with her then five year old daughter Eliana.

Since arriving at Temple B’nai Chaim, Rabbi Cohen has been active in leading and teaching her congregation. She chose this congregation for the challenge of strengthening this Jewish community and deepening their Jewish knowledge and commitment.

The texts of some of her sermons can be found on this site on the sermons page. When not writing sermons, meeting with congregants, or developing new programs, she enjoys going to the beach with her daughter (even off season), staying in touch with family and friends, and playing.

Jon Emir Sobel has been part of the TBC family since 1989.

Jon enriches our worship services with beautiful and inspirational music. He is in charge of the music in our religious school where he teaches songs designed to engage and excite our students while exposing them to a wide variety of both traditional and contemporary Jewish melodies. Jon prepares the recordings that each of our b’nai mitzvah students and adult Torah chanters receive in preparation for leading worship and chanting Torah and Haftarah. He directs our ad-hoc volunteer choir and periodically offers adult education on various music and prayer related topics.

Jon and his family moved to Redding in 1998. Before moving to this area, he sang professionally with several vocal ensembles in Manhattan while studying voice with Myron McPherson. Jon is a graduate of Yale University where he sang with the Baker’s Dozen, the Yale Glee Club, and the Whiffenpoofs.