Rabbi Jade Sank Ross

Educator and spiritual leader, I build learning communities, deepen engagement across every stage of Jewish life, and lead with both pastoral warmth and strategic clarity.

  • Inspiring Voice & Pedagogy

    A speaker and published author, I bring academic depth and relational warmth to diverse audiences. My teaching spans every stage of life, from directing adult cohorts to guest lecturing for colleagues, most recently at the 2026 American Conference of Cantors and Guild of Temple Musicians Convention.

    Publications

  • Transformative Educational Leadership

    As a former Director of Education and a seasoned rabbinic leader, I managed 20% growth in religious school enrollment while supervising and evaluating a 39-member team of faculty and teen assistants. I hold a Certificate in Jewish Education Technology from JTS and have designed innovative, multi-year K–12 and adult learning models.

    Educational Vision

  • Relational Care

    Rooted in Clinical Pastoral Education and recognized with the Dr. Jules Backman Memorial Prize in Human Relations, what I love most about congregational life is my deep love for building lasting relationships. I prioritize genuine personal connection and compassionate presence in all that I do.

    Lifecycle & Care

  • Change Management

    I have experience guiding community through complex transitions, having seamlessly anchored an 850-household congregation through the expansion of its clergy team and senior clergy transition while modernizing multi-department administrative workflows on digital platforms like Google Workspace.

    Spiritual Leadership

About me

I grew up in Kinnelon, New Jersey, where I spent the majority of my days divided between the local stables riding horses and my Jewish home, Barnert Temple, in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. It was because of my involvement at Barnert Temple and because of the mentorship of Rabbi Elyse Frishman, Cantor Regina Lambert-Hayut, and Director of Lifelong Learning Sara Losch, that I discovered my calling as a rabbi.

I received my BA in Anthropology and International and Global Studies from Brandeis University, where I was also a member of the a cappella group Company B. I was ordained as a rabbi in 2018 by the Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC) in New York, where I earned awards for my achievements in homiletics and human relations.

I came to the rabbinate through music and was fortunate to pursue my rabbinic studies on HUC’s New York campus where I took several courses through The Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. My cross disciplinary study informed the development of my rabbinic thesis The Psalms As Living Liturgy, which served as the foundation of my book To You I Call: Psalms Throughout Our Lives (CCAR Press, 2024) and my contributions to The Josh Warshawsky Anthology (Transcontinental Music Publications, 2026).

Having previously served under my mentor Rabbi Howard Goldsmith as the Assistant Rabbi and Director of Education at Congregation Emanu-El of Westchester in Rye, New York, I currently serve as an Associate Rabbi at the Community Synagogue in Port Washington, New York.

I am passionate about cooking and baking. This passion, combined with my love of Jewish learning and community, has led me to contribute to three Jewish Food Hero cookbooks by Kenden Alfond: Jewish Sweets (2025), Feeding the Women of the Talmud, Feeding Ourselves (2022) and Feeding the Women of the Bible, Feeding Ourselves (2020).

I am married to Rabbi Daniel Ross, and together we are most proud to be Adina and Bella’s parents.