Kehilat HaNahar welcomes new school director

Rabbi Jonah Rank has been appointed the new director of the Shul School at Kehilat HaNahar (The Little Shul by the River) in New Hope, Pa. He began his position July 1.

“We welcome Rabbi Jonah and look forward to benefiting from his extensive experience in teaching Jewish studies. We are thrilled he will be joining our community,” said KHN Board President Stephen Fox.

Rank most recently served Congregation Shaar Shalom in Halifax, Nova Scotia, as the community’s Maskil (“teacher of tradition”). He holds a B.A. in music from Columbia University and a B.A. in Jewish music from the Conservative movement’s Jewish Theological Seminary, where he later received his rabbinic ordination alongside his M.A. in Jewish Thought.

“I am truly looking forward to being part of a thriving Reconstructionist synagogue in the heart of Bucks County,” Rank said.

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He previously taught Jewish studies at the Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan and served for three years as a community educator to model artistic Jewish communal living at the Brandeis Institute for Music and Arts in Waltham, Mass.

The Forward’s “Soundtrack of Our Spirit” recognized Rank — who composes records and performs in a variety of musical genres and using an array of instruments — for his Jewish music. He is married to Rabbi Dr. Raysh Weiss.