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Our Rabbis

OUR RABBIS

RABBI MOSHE SMOLKIN
Senior Rabbi
(he/him/his)
Extension: 114
Email: rabbismolkin@adath-israel.org

Rabbi Smolkin is the senior rabbi at Adath Israel Congregation. He grew up in Texas and New Mexico and holds a B.A. from Brandeis and a M.A.T. in Mathematics Education from Tufts. He enjoyed teaching high school math in Boston, before attending the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at American Jewish University in Los Angeles.

While in rabbinical school, he interned as an interfaith chaplain, studied in Jerusalem, and served at Mishkon Tephilo in Venice, California. Rabbi Smolkin was ordained in 2009, having twice received awards for his excellence in Talmud. He then served for 10 years as the rabbi at Ohavay Zion Synagogue in Lexington, Kentucky.

In addition to his love of learning Torah, Talmud, and Jewish Mysticism, Rabbi Smolkin enjoys studying other religions and learning languages - Greek is his current interest. He also has a life-long love of music, as well as many years of study in martial arts. Rabbi Smolkin has been known to indulge in Marvel movies, sushi, and a good cupcake.

RABBI SCOTT SHAFRIN
(he/him/his)
Extension: 119
Email: rabbishafrin@adath-israel.org

Rabbi Scott Shafrin was ordained from the American Jewish University’s Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles in 2013, where he also received a Master’s Degree in Education.  Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rabbi Shafrin is also an ardent musician, starting on the piano at age three, and moving on to guitar, drums, trumpet and others. Previously, he has worked as a social justice organizer in both Boston and Los Angeles, as the Rabbi in Residence at the Epstein School in Atlanta, GA, as Associate Rabbi and Religious School Director at Kol Rinah, a Conservative congregation in University City, and as Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis. As a central part of his work, Rabbi Shafrin sees building relationships with people and connecting them to one another to be the foundational building block of a thriving community.

Beyond his rabbinic work, Scott loves to engage with new people in places all around the world, traveling with American Jewish World Service and the Joint Distribution Committee to places like Nicaragua and Siberia. He is blessed to share his adventures with his wife Rabbi Jessica Shafrin, who is a passionate teacher of Torah, and their two incredible boys.

Rachael Houser
Rabbinic Intern
(she/her/hers)
Email: rabbirachael@adath-israel.org

Rachael Houser is a fifth-year rabbinical student at HUC. Prior to rabbinical school, Rachael was an actress in New York City and performed with theatre companies in Long Island and Brooklyn. Working with children at the JCC and volunteering at Temple Emanu-El put her on the path to the rabbinate. 

During rabbinical school, Rachael has served as a student rabbi for Temple Beth Sholom in Michigan and Temple Israel in Paducah, Kentucky. She has also done work as an outreach and engagement intern for HUC and the Skirball Museum; served as a fellow for the Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati and the Religious Action Center in Ohio; and has completed a chaplaincy unit at University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

RABBI IRVIN M. WISE
Rabbi Emeritus
Email: rabbi@adath-israel.org

Rabbi Wise was born and raised in Cincinnati and assumed the position of Senior Rabbi of Adath Israel Congregation in 1992. Rabbi Wise received his Masters of Arts Degree in Hebrew Letters from Hebrew Union College/Jewish Institute of Religion in 1978 and his rabbinic ordination from HUC in 1979.

Prior to coming to Adath Israel, Rabbi Wise served as the Director of Student Activities and Assistant Rabbi at Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem and as the Executive Director of the Hillel at both Ohio University and the University of Minnesota. A member of the Rabbinical Assembly, Rabbi Wise is a respected and beloved teacher who taught extensively in the Adult Studies program at Adath Israel as well as in the Conservative high school, Mercaz, and Adath Israel's religious school. Rabbi Wise has served as President of the Greater Cincinnati Board of Rabbis. He also served on numerous boards and committees in our Jewish community. He and his wife Kathy have three children, Ora, Shalva and T.  Rabbi Wise officially became Rabbi Emeritus in September 2019.

Sun, July 20 2025 24 Tammuz 5785