Rabbi Mark Finkel
Rabbi Finkel served for eighteen years as Rabbi at the Pine Brook Jewish Center after having served as Rabbi of Beth Abraham in Nashua, New Hampshire, for almost seventeen years. A native of Milton, Massachusetts, Rabbi Finkel graduated from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1979 after a year as a visiting student in Israel at the Hebrew University.
He did his undergraduate work at New York University with a double major in Near Eastern Literature and Languages and Economics. He also holds an MA in history from NYU and a Masters of Theology from the Harvard Divinity School.
Rabbi Finkel received honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 2004 and from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2005. He is certified in pastoral counseling from the Post Graduate Center for Mental Health.
In his younger years, Rabbi Finkel spent summers at Camps Young Judea and Yavneh in New Hampshire, and in his teen years he attended and graduated the Prozdor of the Hebrew College of Boston and served as New England Region President of USY. Rabbi Finkel’s other previous pulpits were at Congregation Sons of Zion in Holyoke, Massachusetts and at Adath Israel of the Main Line in Merion, Pennsylvania as Associate Rabbi.
During the summer of 1996, Rabbi Finkel served as visiting Rabbi in a new congregation in Kaunas (Kovno), Lithuania.
Rabbi Finkel is a member of the Rabbinical Assembly where he served as Secretary, Treasurer, and Vice President of the New Jersey Region. Rabbi Finkel was actively involved with the Montville clergy and was a visible “ambassador” in a variety of religious and civic events and concerns in the greater Montville community.
Rabbi and Abby enjoy theater and cultural events with their family. Their favorite place to unwind is Cape Cod.
Paul Zim, Cantor
For the past 30 years our Cantor, Paul Zim has lifted our spirits with his glorious voice and presence. His many recordings, music books, and concert appearances are known throughout the Jewish world and have drawn countless worshippers through our doors. He has captured the hearts and souls of our congregants with beautiful music, and has made the melodies of the synagogue services accessible to all. With his enthusiasm and vitality, Paul has encouraged and inspired our children and adults to be an integral part of religious services throughout the year. Paul is always ready to share his love of music, so when you meet him just ask him to sing you one of his many favorite melodies. He will be happy to oblige!
Debbie Mulholland, Administrator
Debbie Mulholland came to work for Gesher Shalom in 1999 as a part-time secretary for the Hebrew school. Over the last 26 years she has held many different positions such as, receptionist, Rabbi’s secretary, assistant to the Executive Director and is now our administrator. What started as a small job while she finished college has turned into a career. She loves this synagogue and feels it is her second home; her co-workers and the congregants, are her second family. Debbie lives with her husband of 30 years, with whom she has four children and ten grandchildren. As anyone who knows her can tell you, Debbie has an astonishing amount of energy.
Casiano Franco Rojas
Known to everyone as Franco, he takes care of everyone’s needs. He began working for the JCC in 1998. He knows every detail needed for every service, event, and holiday. He is dedicated to caring for the Congregation. We rely on him for so many things that it’s hard to imagine what life around here would be like without him.