Reb Saul Chapnick
Reb Saul Chapnick was raised in an Orthodox home with deep Hasidic roots. Educated in yeshiva and a longtime counselor at Camp Ramah, he has pursued Jewish learning in many settings, including Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion and a weekly chavruta for ongoing Torah study. His journey has fostered an appreciation for the richness of Jewish tradition across the
spectrum of Jewish life.
For more than thirty-five years, Reb Saul has studied Jewish history, with a particular focus on Jewish life in interwar Eastern Europe. Inspired by the mitzvah of Zachor (to remember), his work explores the vibrancy of the Jewish world destroyed in the Shoah and enduring questions of Jewish memory, continuity, and identity. His research, travel, and conversations with survivors, scholars, communal leaders, and public figures have shaped his understanding of what was lost and what those
communities continue to teach us today.
A gifted storyteller and engaging speaker, Reb Saul has lectured throughout the United States and abroad on Jewish history, Yiddish language and culture, modern Poland, Israel, and post-Holocaust Jewish identity. He also prepares adult participants in the March of the Living by providing historical and cultural context about Poland’s Jewish past and emerging Jewish present.
Reb Saul is the author of a widely read weekly Substack newsletter addressing Jewish life, history, Israel, memory, and current events, combining personal experience, historical research, and contemporary issues.
For the past thirteen years, Reb Saul has served as Substitute Chaplain through the Greater Miami Jewish Federation Chaplaincy Program at Miami Jewish Health. During rabbinic transitions, he has served as interim spiritual leader, leading Shabbat and holiday services, reading Torah, delivering Divrei Torah, teaching adult education, and providing pastoral care. He also assists the Greater Miami Jewish Federation with the recruitment and evaluation of rabbinic candidates.
Temple Sholom is blessed with a dedicated community of congregational leaders who help lead our worship and enrich our synagogue life. Our Reb, along with visiting rabbis and other rabbinic leaders, guides many of our services, while knowledgeable lay leaders also lead Shabbat, holiday, and special services. Together, they create a warm, welcoming, and meaningful Jewish experience that reflects the strength and spirit of our congregation.