HIGHLIGHTS: Eight Nights of Non-Profit Organizations

Dean Shapiro has served as our rabbi since Summer 2011. For him, synagogue should be an oasis of peace, joy, and solace within a busy city. He leads our Shabbat and Holy Day services with warmth and creativity. He is a gifted teacher of adults, and beloved by the kids in our community. He is a caring counsellor and listener. Rabbi Dean crafts transformative lifecycle ceremonies, including bris/baby naming, bar and bat mitzvah, conversion, weddings, and funerals.

Rabbi Dean is a graduate of Clal’s Clergy Leadership Incubator, a fellowship of Rabbis Without Borders; participates in Tempe’s Interfaith Ministry work; and writes a monthly column on spirituality for the East Valley Tribune. He received rabbinic ordination and a certificate in Jewish Communal Service from Hebrew Union College and a Bachelor’s Degree, with Honors, from Harvard College. A former movie industry executive who specialized in international distribution of feature films (including the hit “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”), he has lived in Israel, New Zealand, Spain, and Egypt. Prior to Temple Emanuel, Rabbi Dean served Jewish communities in Auckland, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area.

He and his partner, Haim Ainsworth, have a young son.