Rabbi Jennifer L. Frenkel
Senior Rabbi
Rabbi Jennifer L. Frenkel grew up in Oak Park, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. She graduated summa cum laude from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and a specialization in Jewish Studies. She received her Master of Arts degree in Hebrew Letters from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and was ordained from HUC-JIR in Cincinnati in June 2009.
Prior to serving Congregation Kol Ami, Rabbi Frenkel served Congregation M’kor Shalom from 2009 until 2022, and she worked at the Isaac M. Wise Temple in Cincinnati, Ohio, and congregations in both Petoskey and Saginaw, Michigan, during Rabbinical School.
Rabbi Frenkel also has a Certification in Gerontology and Palliative Care through Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work. And while in Cincinnati, Rabbi Frenkel completed advanced chaplaincy training and was part of the Pastoral Care Team at The Jewish Hospital. Her rabbinic thesis is on the topic of Jewish Pastoral Care Theology and End-of-Life Decision-Making, and Rabbi Frenkel also has four published essays in the book, God: Jewish Choices for Struggling with the Ultimate.
Rabbi Frenkel serves as a Past President of the Tri-County Board of Jewish Clergy, and a member of Sukkat Shalom, the Jewish Hospice Advisory Council for Samaritan Hospice. She has served as a past member of the Institutional Review Board for the Kennedy Health System, as a Rabbinic Mentor through Hebrew Union College’s mentorship program, and led a TRaC (Teshuvah-Rehabilitation-Counseling) Team as part of the Central Conference of American Rabbis’ Ethics Committee. Rabbi Frenkel is also active in local social action endeavors and interfaith community work, and has been a featured speaker at numerous interfaith gatherings in the South Jersey community.
Rabbi Frenkel is the proud mom of Gabriel, and in her free time she enjoys playing ice hockey, cycling, and cheering on her Michigan State Spartans in college football and basketball. Rabbi Frenkel is also an avid reader and writer, and has written a number of liturgical pieces for special events for families and for the Congregation.
