Rabbi Barry Dolinger
Congregation Beth Sholom
March 5, 2019
Rabbi Barry Dolinger grew up in North Bellmore, Long Island. He received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, and a J.D. from Fordham Law School. He studied in Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh in Israel, and received his semicha ordination from RIETS/YU. After rabbinic internships at the Beth Din of America and Congregation Adereth El in New York, Rabbi Dolinger became the Rabbi of Congregation Beth Sholom, a historic and rapidly growing community in Providence, Rhode Island, where he has proudly served since 2011. There, he has worked to certify several local vegetarian eateries as part of a broad plan to build and strengthen community and Jewish life. He has worked with the community to bring passion and mindful attention to prayer and avodah generally, and has engaged in broad-based inclusive primary source education in Talmud Halacha, Comparative Law, Mishpat Ivri, Mussar, Chassidut, Kabbalah, Meditation and a range of other topics. Rabbi Dolinger is a passionate believer in the ability of lived Jewish practice to transform individual and communal life, and is energized by the willingness of community members to accept vulnerability and experimentation in efforts to form sacred community and lives of meaning. In Providence, Rabbi Dolinger also fills several other roles. He manages a solo law practice (bdlawri.com/), and is admitted to the bar in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts. As part of a growing practice and interest in meditation and contemplative practice, he serves as one of the co-founders of Thrive (thrive-ri.org), a multi-faith spiritual retreat for the here and now. In 2014, he partnered with Shai Afsai, a local freelance scholar and journalist, and Kulanu, as part of a historic mission to the Igbo Jews of Nigeria; he has consistently worked to advocate for Israel at the local political level. He previously served on the Board of Trustees for the Holocaust Education and Resource Center of Rhode Island, and currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, the Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Society, and Judy's Kindness Kitchen. He serves as the Vice President of the Board of Rabbis of Greater Rhode Island. Rabbi Dolinger is a fellow of Rabbis Without Borders, and is a recent graduate of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality's Clergy Cohort Program. He is a recipient of the Jewish Alliance's Reisman Leadership Award, the RI State Council of Churches Future of Faith Leadership Award, and was selected as personal feature of the month by the East Side Monthly, a popular local magazine. Rabbi Dolinger and his wife, Naomi Baine, greatly enjoy the benefits of life in a burgeoning, close-knit community, and look forward to seeing what opportunities the future holds in store.
