Rabbi Rona Shapiro became Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation B’nai Jacob in Woodbridge, CT in July, 2026 after serving thirteen years there. Prior to that she served in two pulpits in Cleveland, OH between 2007 and 2013. In her work in the pulpit she is known for her outstanding sermons, her gifted teaching, her caring pastoral presence, and her innovative programing.

Rabbi Shapiro served as Director of Education and Outreach at Ma’ayan: the Jewish Women’s Project from 2000-2007 and as Executive Director of Hillel at UC Berkeley from 1990-2000.

Rabbi Shapiro was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1990, among the early women graduates. She has written and published numerous articles, is the founding editor of the website, ritualwell.org , a Senior Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, and a graduate of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. She has completed two units of Clinical Pastoral Education training. Rabbi Shapiro spent two years studying in Israel at the Pardes Institute prior to her ordination. She received her BA, Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude, from Harvard University in 1983 and her Doctorate Honoris Causa from JTS in 2020. In retirement, she will looks forward to finding more time to write, hike, bike, travel, and enjoy being a new “savta.” She is married to David Franklin and they are parents of two daughters, Noa and Hallel.