Clergy
Rabbi Michael S. Churgel, RJE, comes to NCRT with over 30 years of congregational experience, having served synagogue communities as Rabbi and/or Education Director from Southern California, to the Gulf Coast of Florida, though he has spent most of his career within the greater NY Metropolitan area (Brooklyn, Long Island, Rockland County).
Following his undergraduate education at UCLA, Rabbi Churgel received Rabbinic S’micah from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in 2001, in addition to his Master of Arts in Jewish Education. Rabbi Churgel earned the title “Reform Jewish Educator” (RJE) from the Association of Reform Jewish Educators (ARJE), for his teaching and administrative experience, and he also served as a part of its national board. Rabbi Churgel is a “graduate” of the first cohort of the Leadership Institute for Congregational School Principals, a two-year professional development program for Jewish Educators throughout the Greater New York area.
Rabbi Churgel’s involvement in the Jewish community at large extends to his participation in many local rabbinic, educational, and interfaith groups in every community in which he has served. With a strong connection to Jewish camping and Israel, Rabbi Churgel has served as staff and/or faculty at close to a dozen Jewish camps and Israel summer programs. He most recently served as a Rabbinic Faculty member at URJ 6-Points Creative Arts Academy, where each of his three children has attended as campers. Rabbi Churgel was a charter/founding member of Rockland Clergy for Social Justice, an interfaith clergy group established to stand up for the rights of students in the East Ramapo School District, and battle the injustices being rendered to them by the local school board and the state legislature. Rabbi Churgel served on the executive committee, and he lobbied on its behalf at the State Capitol in Albany multiple times.
When not serving the community, Rabbi Churgel’s interests include quality time with his wife, Shara, and their three children, Daphne, Zoe, and Jason, traveling, swimming, concerts, theatre, movies, reading, eating sushi, or rooting on one of his UCLA Bruins sports teams.
Cantor Amelia Fox Lavranchuk
Amelia Fox Lavranchuk believes that each person has their own unique piece of Torah to bring to the world. She strives to make sure that every voice in the community is heard. Amelia was ordained as a Cantor and received a Master of Religious Education from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in May 2020. Amelia previously served as the cantor of Temple Avodah in Oceanside, NY. She also served as the student cantor at Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel in South Orange, NJ and at Garden City Jewish Center in Garden City, NY. In addition, Amelia spent a summer as a chaplain intern at Mount Sinai Hospital and was a T’ruah Summer Fellow in Human Rights Leadership. Before studying to become a cantor, Amelia taught elementary school in New York City.