Rabbi Alon Ferency

For as long as he remembers, Alon C. Ferency wanted to become a rabbi. An awkward, cerebral child in suburban Boston, he fit in best at community Shabbatonim and Jewish youth events. He sought to follow in the gentle care and wise listening of those local rabbis. This early sense was reinforced by his parents’ strong Jewish role modeling and the unconditional support of his Zayde. After his first kiss at Kutz Camp, the path was set...

...but not without detour. During college at Harvard University, Rabbi Ferency studied and worked toward Israeli-Palestinian economic development. After a bicycle trip from Seattle to Boston with three friends, he entered the Peace Corps in Cameroon as a Community Health organizer. Only following odd jobs in the music and entertainment business did he finally pursue rabbinic studies. During this period of self-discovery, he learned French, Hebrew, and Spanish, and completed a Master’s Degree in Informal Jewish Education.

His father’s philosophic bent engendered a passion for theology which Rabbi Ferency expresses in reading, publishing, and speaking. This theology is informed by travel, pastoral work with the underclass – indigent poor, illegal immigrants, gang members and drug abusers – and reflective practices. In addition, his rabbinate has been shaped through five years in congregation Mishkon Tephilo with Rabbi Daniel Shevitz, sustained with the thoughtful creativity of his wife Karen, and nurtured in the loving care of siblings, family, and friends.

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