Rabbi Donna Kirshbaum

Our Congregation is led by Rabbi Donna Kirshbaum. A 2008 graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College ("RRC"), she holds a B.A. in Ancient Greek from Swarthmore College and an M.A. in Latin Literature from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland.  While at RRC, she held internships at CLAL (the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership), the Academic Coalition for Bioethics, and Greenfaith (New Jersey's interfaith environmental coalition)."

In 2003, Reb Donna received the Birnbaum Award for her "extraordinary dedication to Klal Yisrael and distinguished service to the Baltimore Jewish community," especially as principal of a once-weekly congregation-based school.  In 2004, she received the Whizin Prize in Jewish Ethics for her study of genetic testing.  At RRC, she was awarded the 2004 Driesen Prize in Science and Judaism; in 2007, the Prize for Tikkun Olam in the Community and  the Bartnoff Prize for Spiritually  Motivated Social Action; and in 2008, the Stamm Prize in Jewish history.

In addition to her years of experience as a teacher and Hebrew School principal, she was a cellist with the Annapolis Symphony and a member of Womenfolk, an a capella group in Baltimore.

Reb Donna brings to our congregation her warmth, sensitivity and spirituality.  "I am eager to help grow String of Pearls  in two directions at once:  outward into the Princeton community and downward so that everyone - from our smallest children to our oldest members - can mine the depth of our shared tradition with its profound emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and ethical riches."
Reb Donna in the communtiy

Erev and day one Rosh haShanah sermons

Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur sermons