Rabbinic Team
Rabbi & Rebbetzen Wollenberg - Senior Rabbinic Couple
Rabbi Mordechai & Rebbetzen Blima Wollenberg joined Woodford Forest in August 2015, the first Rabbinic couple to serve the newly-merged community, having served previously as Rabbi & Rebbetzen of Cardiff United Synagogue and Liverpool's Childwall Hebrew Congregation for a combined 12 years.
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Rabbi Wollenberg grew up in Oxford and attended Carmel College where he developed his interest in Judaism and Jewish Learning. He then attended yeshivot in Israel and America and university in Birmingham where he gained a BSc in Computer Science. He was inspired by other rabbis and chaplains he encountered to become more involved in the Jewish community which ultimately led to his
studying for semicha and becoming a communal Rabbi.
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Rebbetzen Wollenberg was born in California and grew up in Phoenix, Arizona attending school in Chicago. She grew up in a community where her family were one of only a few observant families, so is used to being in a diverse Jewish setting.
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Their nine ka"h children were born in Cardiff, Liverpool and London. They enjoy celebrating family simchas with the community. They see their rabbinic role as a family team, involving everybody in activities, education and inspiring others.
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They also see their role as extending to the wider community and to this end they visit local JBD facilities regularly, have organised Shabbat UK activities for a wide range of groups including JLGB, Sinclair House, local Jewish primary schools and the shul's own Tuesday Lunch Club. They also work with many other local organisations for the good of the whole community. Rabbi Wollenberg was also a governor of King Solomon High School.
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