B’nai Torah names Rabbi Bryan Wexler senior rabbi

B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton has appointed Rabbi Bryan Wexler as senior rabbi, filling the role after Rabbi David Steinhardt’s 31-year tenure ended in 2025. The move sets up a leadership transition at the Southeast’s largest conservative synagogue as it looks to deepen engagement and continue growth.

Why it matters: - B’nai Torah Congregation is the largest conservative synagogue in the Southeast U.S., with more than 1,300 member families. - Rabbi Bryan Wexler’s arrival marks the start of a new leadership chapter after a long, defining tenure by Rabbi David Steinhardt. - The transition matters for congregants because the senior rabbi helps shape worship, learning, pastoral care and community culture.

What happened: - B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton, Florida, appointed Rabbi Bryan Wexler as senior rabbi. - The congregation announced the move on July 1, 2026. - Rabbi Wexler succeeds Rabbi David Steinhardt, who retired after 31 years of service and ended his tenure on June 30, 2025. - B’nai Torah plans to host a series of welcome events in the coming months for congregants and the broader community.

The details: - Leesa Parker, executive director of B’nai Torah Congregation, said Rabbi Wexler reflects the congregation’s values of compassion, community, Jewish learning and connection. - Rabbi Wexler said he aims to help people find meaningful entry points into Judaism and strengthen their Jewish voices. - Rabbi Wexler said he wants to build on B’nai Torah’s inclusive community and help individuals and families find purpose, connection and belonging. - Rabbi Wexler was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2017. - Rabbi Wexler also earned a master’s degree in Jewish Education from the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education. - During rabbinical school, Rabbi Wexler was a Wexner Graduate Fellow, a UJA Graduate Fellow and a Leffell-AIPAC Fellow. - Rabbi Wexler served as a rabbinic intern at Park Avenue Synagogue and a rabbinic fellow at B’nai Jeshurun, both in Manhattan. - Rabbi Wexler trained as a chaplain at Mount Sinai Hospital, worked at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires and studied at the Hadar Institute. - Rabbi Wexler earned a bachelor’s degree in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and Philosophy from Brandeis University. - Before joining B’nai Torah, Rabbi Wexler spent nine years as associate rabbi at Temple Beth Sholom in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. - At Temple Beth Sholom, Rabbi Wexler led worship services, taught learners of all ages, officiated lifecycle events and provided pastoral care. - Rabbi Wexler created and facilitated Healing Services and developed an award-winning Hebrew High School and Teen Engagement Program. - Rabbi Wexler also served as president of the Southern New Jersey Tri-County Board of Jewish Clergy, rabbinic chair of the Goodblatt Academy’s Introduction to Judaism program and vice president of the Philadelphia Region of the Rabbinical Assembly. - Rabbi Wexler and his wife, Rebecca, have three children: Meyer, Gavi and Eliana. - Rabbi Wexler said his family is excited to join the Boca Raton community. - Outside the synagogue, Rabbi Wexler is a Philadelphia sports fan and plans to keep following those teams after relocating to South Florida. - More information about the congregation is available at B’nai Torah Congregation.

Between the lines: - The hire suggests B’nai Torah wants continuity with room for renewal, blending a long-standing institutional identity with a leader focused on engagement and belonging. - Rabbi Wexler’s background in education, pastoral care and teen programming points to an emphasis on community building across generations. - The succession also reflects a planned transition rather than a sudden leadership change, with the congregation already positioning welcome events around the announcement.

What’s next: - B’nai Torah will introduce Rabbi Wexler to congregants and community members through upcoming welcome events. - Rabbi Wexler is expected to begin shaping the congregation’s next phase of worship, learning and communal life in South Florida. - The congregation’s immediate focus is on easing the transition while preserving the legacy of Rabbi Steinhardt’s 31 years of leadership.

The bottom line: - B’nai Torah is betting on an educator-rabbi with deep congregational experience to carry a major synagogue through a carefully managed leadership handoff.