Temple Beth Abraham announced that Rabbi David Z. Vaisberg, M.A.R.E., M.A.H.L., has been appointed as the synagogue’s next Rabbi, beginning July 1. He will succeed Rabbi David K. Holtz, who will retire on that date after 33 years of devoted service to the congregation.
The appointment marks a generational transition for the Rivertown’s synagogue and one of the most significant clergy transitions in the local Jewish community in more than three decades, as the congregation looks toward its next chapter.
Rabbi Vaisberg was selected following a national search led by Temple Beth Abraham’s Rabbinic Search Committee, approved by the Board of Trustees, and ratified by the congregation at a special meeting on February 27, 2026.
“Rabbi Holtz’s leadership has shaped Temple Beth Abraham in profound and lasting ways. For more than three decades, he has guided our community with wisdom, compassion, and moral clarity, and his legacy will be felt for generations to come. As we honor that legacy and look ahead, we couldn’t be more excited about what comes next. From the first moment Rabbi Vaisberg spent time with our congregation, the response was immediate and clear. Our members described him as warm, genuine, and spiritually present—someone who already felt like part of the community,” said Brian Schneider, President of the Board of Trustees.
“I’m honored and delighted to join the Temple Beth Abraham community this summer as its next Rabbi,” Rabbi Vaisberg said. “Temple Beth Abraham is a place that felt like home from the first visit. Their enthusiasm for community, learning, ritual, and working for a better world aren’t just aspirations, they’re reality. The genuine care the members have for each other has moved me deeply, and I can’t wait to begin learning, dreaming, and building with them.”
During his visit to Temple Beth Abraham, Rabbi Vaisberg led worship, taught classes, and met with congregants, clergy, and lay leaders across the community. Members remarked on his ease leading in both the Reform and Conservative traditions that define TBA’s distinctive worship life and described his presence at the pulpit as “natural,” “magnetic,” and “radiant.” Congregants also described him as “warm,” “connected,” and “authentic.” Many simply said they loved him.
Rabbi Vaisberg currently serves as Senior Rabbi of Temple B’nai Abraham in Livingston, New Jersey, where he has led a congregation of approximately 600 households since 2019. His work there has included leading worship, teaching, pastoral care, life-cycle events, community organizing, and expanding access to synagogue life through livestream and hybrid programming.
Born in Montreal, Quebec, and raised in Mississauga, Ontario, Rabbi Vaisberg was ordained at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion in New York in 2012. He holds master’s degrees in Hebrew literature and religious education and earned his undergraduate degree in psychology from York University. He currently serves on the Central Conference of American Rabbis Responsa Committee.
Over more than three decades, Rabbi Holtz has guided generations of congregants through worship, education, life-cycle moments, and community leadership, helping shape Temple Beth Abraham into a vibrant center of Jewish life in the Rivertowns and throughout Westchester. Beyond the synagogue, he has been an active member of Rotary and a leader in interfaith life through the Rivertowns Clergy Association. During his tenure he also helped guide significant modernization of the synagogue campus, improving accessibility and helping ensure the space remains welcoming and responsive to the needs of today’s congregants. Beginning July 1, 2026, he will hold the title of Rabbi Emeritus.
Temple Beth Abraham will celebrate Rabbi Holtz’s extraordinary legacy at its Annual Gala on April 25, 2026, to be held in the synagogue’s newly refreshed Social Hall, part of the congregation’s ongoing efforts to strengthen and sustain its campus and community.
Rabbi Vaisberg and his wife, Miriam Palmer-Sherman, live in Maplewood, New Jersey with their two children and are excited to make their home in the Rivertowns.
