Reb Josh (as he prefers to be called), a graduate of the Rabbinical School at Hebrew College in Newton, took a circuitous path to rabbinate. Born in the Boston area, Josh spent his childhood on a secular kibbutz in Israel. Discovering American progressive Judaism after college in the US, he has been involved in Jewish education and prayer-leading in one capacity or another since the mid-1990s. Josh holds a Masters degree in performance from the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA, and loves to play 17th century English pop music with his band Seven Times Salt (you can find them on YouTube and Spotify). He is also a certified teacher of the Feldenkrais Method of Somatic Education®, developed by Israeli physicist and martial artist Moshe Feldenkrais. Reb Josh has spent the last few decades developing a unique blend of his various pursuits, combining deep mind-body awareness with the musical, spiritual, and intellectual traditions of Judaism, to create an experience he calls “Embodied Judaism.”
Reb Josh has recently been selected to participate in the Institute for Jewish Spirituality Clergy Leadership Program.
Josh lives in Newton Corner with his wife Beth, his son Noam (14), and Beth’s daughter Josie (13). He enjoys discussing Talmud, playing games, and arguing about whether cucumbers are a fruit or vegetable with his kids, cooking and reading aloud with wife, and making music with friends. Ask him about his gluten-free challah recipe!
Contact and Office Hours:
Feel free to reach out at , or call at (774) 504-9962 – he’d love to hear from you!
Reb Josh is generally at the Jewish Community House on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
Reb Josh serves as principal of our Religious School. He is instrumental in organizing the curriculum and providing the guiding vision for how we undertake education. If you have questions for Rabbi Schreiber, he may be reached at .
Stacey Gay serves as teacher and program designer for Shalom Kids, our preschool family education program which meets twice monthly on Sunday morning as well as once monthly as part of Shabbat Rishona. Stacey has been on our faculty since 2006.
Gail Nathan serves as our lower school teacher. Gail has been on our faculty since 1993. Gail comes with a wealth of teaching knowledge and experience, as well as sharing empathy to students of all ages.
Jessica Yarman serves as our upper school teacher. Jessica is dedicated to fostering a love for learning and a deep connection to Jewish traditions in her students. Jessica teaches Hebrew reading skills, values, prayer and holidays in an engaging classroom environment. Jessica makes learning meaningful by incorporating games and hands-on activities in the classroom. In addition to classroom teaching, Jessica has worked with our teens on Shabbat Rishona mornings as well as leading their monthly TELEM teens visits working with children’s arts and crafts programs at a local transitional family homeless shelter. Jessica grew up in our congregation and has been on our faculty since 2002.
Lori McCloud, Office Administrator and Bookkeeper has been a member of our family since 2015. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, scuba diving, cooking and spending time with family.
Lori is in the office Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 11:30 am and may be reached at 508-822-3230 during those hours. Of course, you may leave a voicemail message as well.
Nikolai Yankov, Custodian, joined the Agudath Achim family of friends in the spring of 2025, bringing many years of experience in custodial and maintenance work. He moved to Massachusetts in 2000 from his home country of Bulgaria and has lived in Taunton since 2009. In his free time he enjoys hiking, kayaking, cooking, and watching movies.
Nik is generally on site at the Community House or the Synagogue on weekdays between 9am and 1pm. If you have questions or need assistance, please reach out to him at 508-292-8447 or .
