Transitional Clergy Team

Update — May 18, 2026

This summer, Interim Rabbi Murray Ezring and Cantor Shana Onigman will conclude their service to MJCBY. We offer our gratitude and appreciation for their service to our community and wish them the very best in their future endeavors.

For the long term, we are conducting a search for our next clergy. In the meantime, we are delighted to announce our transitional plans.

Transitional Clergy Team

We have assembled a very capable team to serve and meet the needs of our community.

Rabbi Emeritus David Nesson and Rabbi Amy Joy Small will share the role of MJCBY's rabbi and Cantor Emeritus Maimon Attias and Cantor Brian Kalver will share the role of MJCBY's hazzan. Often, Rabbi Nesson will pair with Cantor Kalver and Rabbi Small with Cantor Attias. The details of how other clergy responsibilities will be handled are being worked out.

Our High Holy Days services will be led by Rabbi Noam Marans and Cantor Emeritus Attias.

We are very fortunate to have such beloved and experienced clergy in our community who have offered to help MJCBY during this transitional period.

Rabbi Emeritus David Nesson

Rabbi Nesson was the spiritual leader of MJCBY for 35 years before he retired in 2023
He continues to be an active member of the MJCBY community and teaches the Intro to Judaism class
Rabbi Nesson remains active in the New Jersey region of the Conservative Rabbinical Assembly
He was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS)

Rabbi Amy Joy Small

Rabbi Small was the senior rabbi of Ohavi Zedek, the Conservative congegration in Burlington, VT, for 8 years before she retired in 2023
She was the rabbi of Congregation Beth Hatikvah in Summit, NJ, for 16 years
Rabbi Small held faculty and administrative positions at the Reconstructionst Rabbinical College (RRC) and served as president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association
She was ordained by RRC

Rabbi Noam Marans

Rabbi Marans is American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) Director of Interreligious Affairs, heading the agency’s global interfaith outreach and advocacy
He served as chair of IJCIC, the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations, world Jewry's official dialogue partner with the Vatican, Ecumenical Patriarchate, World Council of Churches, World Evangelical Alliance, and other bodies
Rabbi Marans was the rabbi of Temple Israel in Ridgewood, NJ, for 16 years
He was ordained by JTS

Cantor Emeritus Maimon Attias

Cantor Attias was MJCBY's hazzan for 35 years before he retired in 2012
Cantor Attias was born in Morocco and loves to share Mizrachi melodies with the community
He continues to be active an active member of the MJCBY community
Cantor Attias was ordained by JTS

Cantor Brian Kalver

Cantor Kalver was the hazzan at Congregation B'nai Israel in Basking Ridge, NJ, for 9 years
Prior to his career change, he was a corporate lawyer for 20 years
Cantor Kalver was ordained by the Academy for Jewish Religion