Our worship services were conducted by members of the congregation who studied the history and meaning of our liturgy. We welcomed out first Rabbi, Hirshel Jaffe, in July 1966. We were now 112 families. We held our first Sunday School classes in September at The Hockaday School.
We purchased 14 acres of land in July 1967, broke ground in 1971, and held our first service at our own facilities in September 1972. We had held services at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sunday School at Ursuline, and had an office in the upstairs of a furniture store. Our second Rabbi, Saul Besser, joined us in July 1969 and was with us until 1984.
Kenneth Roseman succeeded Rabbi Besser in 1985 and became Emeritus in 2002. His successor, David Lyon, came in 2000 and assumed the senior position in 2002 and then moved to Houston. Rabbi Andrew Paley has been our Senior Rabbi since May 2004.
Temple Shalom’s first Associate Rabbi was Steve Jacobs in 1976, followed in turn by Murray Berger in 1977, Mark Goodman in 1982, Jordan Parr in 1986, Elizabeth Stern in 1992, Rick Schechter in 1997, Robert Haas in 2002, and Jeremy Schneider in 2006. Ariel Boxman was Rabbi-Educator on June 24, 2013. Michael Harvey was Rabbinic Intern from June 2014-March 2015. Ariel Boxman was Rabbi-Educator from June 2013-June 2019.
Cantor Don Alan Croll joined us in 1996 to replace Lisa Lipco Levine who had been our Cantor from 1989 to 1996.
Cantor Croll became Cantor Emeritus when he retired on May 31, 2013. Cantor Devorah Avery served Temple Shalom from July 2015-May 2022.
RABBI ANDREW MARC PALEY
Rabbi Andrew Paley has been the Senior Rabbi and Spiritual Leader of Temple Shalom, a Reform congregation, in Dallas, Texas since 2004. Ordained in 1995, Rabbi Paley holds a Doctor of Divinity Honoris Causa, a Master’s Degree in Hebrew Letters from The Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from The Ohio State University. He is also a Prepare/Enrich Certified marital and premarital counselor.
Rabbi Paley believes in the value of collaboration and cooperation within the Jewish community and in the wider Dallas Metroplex. Rabbi Paley is a member and past President of the Rabbinic Association of Greater Dallas and is a member of the Muslim/Jewish Advisory Council of the Dallas Chapter of The American Jewish Committee. He has also served as a mentor for rabbinic colleagues in congregations around the country as well as to rabbinical students in seminary.
In the city of Dallas, Rabbi Paley is a Dallas Police Chaplain, Co-Chair of Faith Forward Dallas@ThanksgivingSquare – a multi-faith clergy association; Chair of the Dallas Police Department’s Multi-Faith Advisory Committee; a board member of The Senior Source; served as a member of the Mayor’s Task Force on Poverty, and currently serves as the International Secretary of Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity.
Rabbi Paley has edited two prayer books, one for the Sabbath and one for families for the High Holy days.
Rabbi Paley is married to Deborah Niederman, the Past President of the Association of Reform Jewish Educators, and is the father of Molly and Samuel.
CANTOR EMERITUS DON ALAN CROLL
Cantor Croll, a native of Buffalo, New York, is an invested cantor having graduated with honors in liturgical interpretation from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion’s School of Sacred Music in 1978. He spent ten years as cantor and music director of Temple Beth Torah in Upper Nyack, New York. He also served as cantor in Los Angeles, California and Albuquerque, New Mexico. He has performed in Israel and appeared as guest soloist with Kol Echad, the premier Jewish chorale in Los Angeles and the Albuquerque Symphony, as well as the Kennedy Center’s July 4th celebration “Let Freedom Sing”. Cantor Croll is a member of the Cantor’s Assembly and is currently serving on the Board of Trustees of the American Conference of Cantors.
HUC-JIR bestowed an honorary Doctorate of Music degree on Cantor Croll for his twenty-five years in the cantorate and in June 2018, Cantor Croll received an award celebrating his forty years in the cantorate. In 2008, Cantor Croll was Temple Shalom Brotherhood’s Man of the Year in celebration of his 13 years at Temple Shalom. In 2013, Cantor Croll was inducted as a Life Member into Brotherhood’s Hall of Fame. Cantor Croll retired on May 31, 2013. Cantor Croll is currently the senior clergy at Congregation Beth El Binah in Dallas.
Cantor Croll is married to Jan Gartenberg.
RABBI EMERITUS KENNETH D. ROSEMAN z”l
Rabbi Roseman came to Temple Shalom in 1985 after serving as the Rabbi of Temple Beth El in Madison, Wisconsin. Ordained in 1966, Rabbi Roseman also earned a Ph.D. in Jewish History. He served as Dean of Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion and taught Jewish history at Southern Methodist University. Rabbi Roseman served as Co-Chairman of the National Joint Commission on Jewish Education and Chairman of the Committee on Family and Children’s Liturgy. His series of Jewish history books for adolescents garnered two prestigious awards. As a community activist, he represented Temple Shalom as an officer of the Attending Clergy Association of Presbyterian Hospital and Chairman of the Rabbinical Association of Greater Dallas. Author of Of Tribes and Tribulations (2014) which addresses twelve of the most common issues raised by religious seekers. Rabbi Roseman passed away on 4/26/2020 from Covid-19 complications.