Lay and Professional Leadership
• Mishkan Miami Leadership Council
This council is a partnership between volunteer leadership, agency professionals, and religious leaders in the community. The mandate of the Council is to provide oversight and direction to existing programs. It also educates the community and assists in building coalitions that advance the creation of a network of communal caring. Mishkan Miami Leadership Council is responsible for the creation of task forces to address various communal needs.
o Current Chair: Regina F. Zelonker, Esq.
o Vice Chair: Joy Spill
• Professional Staff
Our professional staff comes from diverse backgrounds, reflecting the tapestry of the Miami Jewish community.
Rabbi Frederick L. Klein, MPhil, B.C.C., Director
Rabbi Frederick ‘Fred’ Klein is Director of Mishkan Miami: The Jewish Connection for Spiritual Support, and serves as Executive Vice President of the Rabbinical Association of Greater Miami. He is a Miami native and graduated magna cum laude from Brown University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in religious studies. He received his rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University, where he also earned a master’s degree in Bible, and has an MPhil in Jewish history from Columbia University. He received Board Certification from the National Association of Jewish Chaplains, and has done clinical rotations at New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens, NY, Jackson Memorial Hospital and VITAS hospice. Rabbi Klein has taught at and been involved with the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, Drisha Institute for Jewish Education, Hebrew College of Boston, the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning, CLAL– The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, and the Shalom Hartman Institute. He is Vice President for the Rabbinic Cabinet of the Jewish Federations of North America, former Chair of the Interfaith Clergy Dialogue of the Miami Coalition of Christians and Jews, and serves on the Board of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains.
Rabbi Marvin Rose, Staff Chaplain
Involved with Mishkan Miami for more than 30 years, Rabbi Marvin Rose is the Rabbi of Temple Tifereth Jacob in Miami Lakes and a member of the Rabbinical Association of Greater Miami. He was ordained at Yeshiva University, where he also received a master’s degree in administration of Jewish education. He is accredited by the National Association of Jewish Chaplains.
Rabbi Simeon Schreiber, B.C.C., Staff Chaplain at Mount Sinai Medical Center
Rabbi Simeon Schreiber is the Federation Chaplain at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach. He is also the founder, director, and lead chaplain of Visiting Chaplain Services, Inc., a not for profit agency that provides spiritual care to anyone in spiritual or emotional distress. He is a Board-Certified Chaplain with more than 30 year experience. Rabbi Simeon Schreiber is a graduate of Yeshiva College and received his ordination as an Orthodox Rabbi from the Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University. He is a member of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains and is a board certified Jewish chaplain. He is also an Academy Certified Master Chaplain, ACME-III in the American Psychotherapy Association, and a police chaplain certified under the auspices of the International Conference of Police Chaplains (ICPC).
Rabbi Jonathan Tabachnikoff, Senior Consultant
Rabbi Jonathan Tabachnikoff is a Reform rabbi with specialized training as a health care chaplain. He holds degrees from Brandeis University and the Hebrew Union College and has served both Reform and Conservative congregations. He has provided chaplaincy services to patients and families in a Los Angeles trauma center, including in the neonatal intensive-care unit, the emergency room and the oncology unit. He has also served the residents of Jewish retirement communities and hospices in Chicago, Rochester, N.Y. and Miami.
Rabbi Cheryl Weiner, Ph.D. B.C.C., Senior Consultant
Rabbi Cheryl Weiner, Ph.D., serves as a Staff Chaplain and is the Director of Mishkan Miami's Refuat Ha-Nefesh (Visiting the Sick) Alumni Network. In 2012, she completed a Chaplaincy Residency with the Jackson Memorial Health System across its many facilities, from hospitals to nursing homes. In addition, she visited patients in the University of Miami Hospital and the Sylvester Cancer Center. Working with all faiths, she specializes in adult and pediatric palliative, oncology and transplant care. Rabbi Weiner is a member of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains and the Association of Professional Chaplains. Devoted to pastoral care, she acts as a spiritual guide for those who are ill or suffering from grief- and loss-related transitions of any kind. She also creates creative healing rituals and services and is a consultant to congregations interested in establishing caring communities. She is a mentor to volunteers, a family advisor, and a funeral officiant. Rabbi Weiner currently serves as the Director of Life Long Learning for Congregation Kol Tikvah, Parkland, FL. Ordained as a transdenominational rabbi by the Academy for Jewish Religion, CA (AJRCA), she also has a PhD from the University of Oregon, an master’s dfegree from Northeastern University, and Bachelor’s degree from Barnard College. After 25 years as an award-winning publisher in the educational technology industry, she is committed to serving others as a Jewish educator, rabbi and chaplain.
• Refuat HaNefesh Fellows- Jewish Spiritual Care Volunteers
Mishkan Miami, collaborating with the Federation’s Jewish Volunteer Center, also coordinates the Refuat HaNefesh Fellows Program, a spiritual care training program for qualified individuals. Volunteers are placed and volunteer at partner agencies. Mishkan Miami is assisted by these spiritual care fellows, who serve as a mini-community of volunteers. As the Refuat HaNefesh Alumni Network of fellows evolves, we continue to engage them in social events, lectures, and continuing education as part of supporting their involvement in spiritual care giving. Click here to learn more and get involved.
• Mishkan Miami partners
Mishkan Miami partners with local hospitals, long term care facilities, agencies, synagogues, and hospices. A partner is an institution that provided spiritual care for its residents either through contracted services with Mishkan Miami, or partners with Mishkan Miami to provide service and or resources to their residents, patients, or congregants. Mishkan Miami maintains collaborative relations with many local synagogue. A listing of local synagogues can be found here. The Rabbinical Association of Greater Miami, representing rabbinic leadership throughout Miami, is and official sponsor.
For information on community resources, please contact Rabbi Fred Klein at [email protected].
Local Institutional Partners
Our partners are institutions that provide spiritual care for their residents either through contracted services or partnerships with Mishkan Miami providing services and resources to their residents, patients, or congregants. These partners include local hospitals, long-term care facilities, Jewish Community Services, synagogues, and hospices. The Rabbinical Association of Greater Miami, representing rabbinic congregational leadership throughout Miami is an official partner.
Click on these partnership organizations to learn more about them
