Clergy
Rabbi Ethan Bair
Rabbi Ethan Bair draws on Jewish tradition and spirituality to cultivate communities grounded in empathy, listening, and shared purpose.
Since his ordination from the Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles in 2011, Rabbi Bair has served diverse and growing communities across the country, including as Senior/Solo Rabbi at Temple Sinai in Reno, NV and as Associate Rabbi at Temple Beth Sholom in Miami Beach, FL. Most recently, he served as Campus Rabbi at Syracuse University, where he developed a groundbreaking Jewish-Muslim Dialogue Fellowship that became a model for facilitating conversations across lines of difference after October 7th. Rabbi Bair has partnered with national organizations including Hillel International, the USC Shoah Foundation, and Interfaith America to design and facilitate trainings in interfaith relationship-building. His Hillel curriculum, Bridging: Building Relationships Across Difference, is now being implemented on dozens of campuses across the U.S.
Throughout his career, Rabbi Bair’s vision has resulted in measurable growth. In Nevada, he helped grow Temple Sinai by 30%, expanded opportunities for prayer and study, and developed a culture of leadership and board participation among young professionals. His commitment to justice extended beyond the synagogue walls: he co-founded a Clergy Coalition for Gun Violence Prevention and led his congregation in sponsoring the resettlement of a Syrian refugee family. In Miami Beach, he led social justice initiatives for a 1,150-family congregation, co-organizing the Florida chapter of the Religious Action Center and mobilizing Reform communities statewide to advocate for migrant children—efforts that contributed to the closure of a detention facility in Homestead.
Today, he is an active member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, where he serves on the Peace and Justice Committee and as an advisor to the CCAR Press. He is also a mentor for Interfaith America’s national BRAID (Bridgebuilders Relating Across Interfaith Differences) fellowship.
Rabbi Bair grew up in Boston’s Jewish Renewal Movement, founded by Rabbi Zalman Schachter Shalomi (z”l), who was his first rabbinic mentor. At Oberlin College (’03), Rabbi Bair majored in Religion, Jewish Studies, and German Studies, and went on to study at Humboldt Universität in Berlin as a Fullbright Fellow. He pursued ordination from HUC because he shared the Reform movement’s commitment to egalitarianism, interfaith and LGBTQ+ inclusion, and social justice.
A trained singer with a love for Chassidic nigunnim (wordless melodies), Rabbi Bair is committed to leading engaging, participatory services, and to teaching in a way that nurtures mind and soul. His favorite classes have looked at Jewishness and wellness; Jewish models of healthy masculinity; Jewish prayer; and social justice as the heart of Judaism.
He is the proud papa of Chaya Miriam and Emunah Gittel, whom he shares with his wife Nadya Bair, an historian of photography and professor at Hamilton College.
Rabbi Bair is honored to join The Village Temple and looks forward to co-creating the next chapter of this vibrant and storied community together.
Rabbi Bair can be reached at rabbibair@villagetemple.org.
Cantor Aleksandra Dubov
Aleksandra Dubov is a rising fourth-year cantorial student at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR). She grew up surrounded by Jewish music and the arts—her father was a Broadway performer and beloved cantor, and her mother is a dancer, teacher and photographer.
Aleksandra began singing at age six and has been leading Jewish music since her teens. She studied classical voice and theater and has served as a cantorial soloist in synagogues across the country. For the past two years, she’s been the cantorial intern at Congregation B’nai Israel in Little Rock, Arkansas.
After losing her father at a young age, Aleksandra explored spiritual and healing practices like meditation, yoga, and energy work, which now shape her approach to music and prayer. She’s passionate about helping people connect to their voices and feel at home in their full expression.
When she’s not leading services or deep in her studies, you can find her dancing at 5Rhythms, Ecstatic Dance, swimming, or spending time outdoors. She’s excited to bring her heart, voice, and spirit to the Village Temple community in New York.