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Our Clergy
Rabbi Amy L. Memis-Foler |rabbi@adathemanuel.com
Rabbi Amy L. Memis-Foler, D.D. (she/her/hers) is driven by her love of Judaism and desire to teach others, to share in their spiritual journey and to make the world a better place. She finds great joy in all aspects of congregational work: leading services, conducting life-cycle events, teaching adults and children, guiding individuals looking to convert to Judaism, working with lay leaders, and leading trips to Israel. On the side, she has donated 118 inches of her hair to make wigs for people with medical conditions.
Rabbi Memis-Foler joined Adath Emanu-El in the summer of 2022. Prior to her arrival in New Jersey, she served as rabbi in the Chicago area at Beth Emet the Free Synagogue in Evanston, Temple Judea Mizpah in Skokie, Temple Sholom of Chicago, and Congregation B’nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim when it resided in Glenview.
Active in the greater Jewish community, Rabbi Memis-Foler is excited to return to the place which helped shape her Jewish identity, the URJ Camp Harlam, where she teaches on the faculty. With a passion for justice, she is delighted to be engaged with RAC-NJ, the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism’s New Jersey affiliate. Rabbi Memis-Foler is a Past President of the Women’s Rabbinic Network (WRN) and sits on the Leadership Council of the Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA).
Her essays have been published in a variety of journals and books, including Prophetic Voices: Renewing and Reimagining Haftarah; The Sacred Exchange; Beginning the Journey: A Women’s Commentary on Torah and Reform Jewish Ethics and the Halakhah. She also served on the taskforce that published The Sacred Calling: Four Decades of Women in the Rabbinate.
Rabbi Memis-Foler is passsionate about building bridges and celebrating diversity, as she did while serving as Commissioner on the Village of Skokie Human Relations Commission. She attended the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Israel and New York, where she earned her MAHL in 1992, was ordained in 1993 and received her Doctor of Divinity degree honoris causa in May 2018. She lives in Mt. Laurel with her husband, Dave. They have one adult two-legged child and one senior four-legged child.
Cantor Sandra Messinger-Aguilar | cantorsandi@gmail.com
Cantorial Soloist Sandra Messinger-Aguilar was born in Montgomery County, PA and raised in Willingboro, NJ. She attended Kennedy High School in Willingboro, Rowan College at Burlington County, Rowan University and the International Academy in Rome, where she studied Voice Performance concentrating on opera. While attending Rowan University, at the age of 19, she performed the role of Pamina in The Magic Flute. She had gone on to perform in Israel, Spain, Italy, England, Manhattan, Philadelphia and Arizona.
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Sandra has been a member of Adath since 1975, serving as our Cantorial Soloist since 2001. Sandra teaches bar/bat mitzvah lessons, conducts youth and adult choirs, leads the music during services and oversees the musical life of the congregation. She takes great joy in getting to know our congregants and watching the youth of our congregation flourish. In the community, Sandra is a member of the Guild of Temple Musicians and is active with the Delaware County Choral Festival.
Sandra is a natural teacher and has been teaching music since a young age. While attending Rowan College at Burlington County, she did a concentration in Psychology and Education. This background and the love of teaching helped prepare her to work with our youth to prepare them for the bar/bat mitzvah service.
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Sandra is married to David Aguilar who works making life better for people with Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Though they met in Manhattan, David now lives in Burlington County and attends services regularly at Adath Emanu-El – occasionally adding to the richness of the service by playing percussion.
Rabbi Emeritus Richard A. Levine, "z'l"
Our congregation mourns the loss of our beloved Rabbi Emeritus Richard A. Levine.
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In memory of Rabbi Richard A. Levine and through the generosity of the Levine family, the Rabbi Richard A. Levine L’Dor V’Dor Legacy Fund has been established. This fund replaces the Rabbi Levine Discretionary Fund and is established as a scholarship fund for post-B’nai Mitzvah students of Adath Emanu-El to further their studies in 8th grade at our Religious School. Contributions can be made in the same manner as other Gift and Memorial donations, by cash, check or credit card in person, on line or by mail.
Rabbi Emeritus Richard A. Levine,”z’l” born in Brooklyn, graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He later received his rabbinical ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City in 1964 having won a number of academic awards. He received an honorary Doctor of Divinity in 1989. He served and inspired the congregation of Adath Emanu-El for over 46 years. He and his wife, Judith, have raised nine children and are the proud grandparents of twelve. Among the many positions he has held over the years, Rabbi Levine was the first New Jersey rabbi to serve as President of the Greater Philadelphia Board of Rabbis. He also was President of the Delaware Valley Association of Reform Rabbis, President of the Tri-County Board of Rabbis. He also served on the board of the Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Southern New Jersey and the Department of Jewish Education and Continuity as well as having been a member of the regional JNF board. He served as a member of the Board of the Jewish Federation of South Jersey. Rabbi Levine was the “Carenet Coordinator” for the DVARR Region of the CCAR (Central Conference of American Rabbis) for the entire time that program was in existence. He was the chairperson of both the CCAR Retirement Committee and Audit Committee. He was involved with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and chaired numerous Human Relations Commissions and Ethics Boards. In addition, Rabbi Levine was a regular presenter at regional high schools.
Rabbi Levine passed away in February of 2014 and leaves behind a rich legacy of Torah and Jewish thought, as well as a large and loving family.
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