Rabbi Feld Joins Ahavath Achim

As Vatican City clamored over who and when to billow out the white smoke, Ahavath Achim (AA) selected Rabbi Eric Feld to join the congregation as Associate Rabbi and Director of Lifelong Learning.

Congregants Sarah Cohen and Randy Weinstein were charged to head a clergy search committee to recruit a new assistant rabbi by late spring. The pool was narrowed to the three candidates, all of whom were asked to participate in religious services. Congregants were then queried to submit feedback online.

Rabbi Feld was chosen to assume the post July 1, 2025. Feld will vacate his current position as Assistant Rabbi and Educational Director of Congregation Beth Shalom in Dunwoody. Feld, a native of Knoxville, Tenn., grew up in the South and has fond memories of visiting AA as a youth and “feeling a sense of awe.”

Get The AJT Newsletter by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up

He stated, “In many ways, I have always felt connected to the AA given its early support for Ramah Darom and Etgar 36, both of which were formative experiences in my own Jewish journey. To now return and join this extraordinary and historic kehillah as Associate Rabbi and Director of Lifelong Learning feels like coming full circle — and it fills me with tremendous excitement and gratitude.”

The search committee also consisted of Larry Gold, Nancy Levine, Rachel Joseph, Eric Miller, and Brandon Goldberg in addition to Cohen and Weinstein. They also formed a consultants committee to help vet, interview, and work with the committee and candidates alongside coordination with The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ) and The Rabbinical Assembly.

To now return and join this extraordinary and historic kehillah as Associate Rabbi and Director of Lifelong Learning feels like coming full circle — and it fills me with tremendous excitement and gratitude.

Weinstein said, “It’s clear that each prospective rabbi possessed the ability to make a lasting positive impact on our community. In seeking the specific blend of qualities best suited for our future, we found that Rabbi Feld brings a compelling combination of charisma, knowledge, passion for Jewish education, and a remarkable ability to connect with congregants of all ages. We are excited to welcome Rabbi Feld to the Ahavath Achim family this summer.”

Often seen huddling at the Saturday kiddish, Weinstein and Cohen found no shortage of congregants who wanted to “have their opinions heard.”

AA Senior Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal admired many of Rabbi Feld’s talents. “Eric brings many wonderful qualities to our community: a love of Torah and tradition, deep Torah learning, joy in practicing Jewish ritual, and more. However, his greatest quality addressed an almost impossible challenge I gave to the search committee — to find somebody who already loves the Ahavath Achim community.”

The request to Rosenthal seemed paradoxical when most candidates were meeting and learning about the community for the first time. Yet Rabbi Feld’s upbringing in Knoxville, in a small but vibrant Conservative congregation, afforded him the opportunity to participate in regional United Synagogue Youth, which held conferences and conventions at AA.

Rosenthal concluded, “This experience gave him a deep love for our community — the number one quality we seek in clergy, staff, leadership, and congregants.”

His greatest quality addressed an almost impossible challenge I gave to the search committee — to find somebody who already loves the Ahavath Achim community.

AA President Mark Stern welcomed Rabbi Feld to the congregation by telling the AJT, “From the moment we met, it was clear to me that he brings not only a strong foundation in Jewish learning and pastoral care, but also a genuine passion for working with young families. His experience in preschool education will be an incredible asset as we nurture the next generation of Jewish life in our community.”

Rabbi Feld received his ordination from Hebrew College Rabbinical School in Boston. In July 2023, he assumed the position of Beth Shalom Assistant Rabbi and Director of Lifelong Learning. Previously, he served as the Assistant Director of the Genesis summer program at Brandeis, the Hillel Director at Boston College, and the Rabbinic Intern with the Hillel Council of New England and with Hebrew College. Prior to rabbinical school, he was a town planner in Chapel Hill, N.C., and remains an avid Tar Heels fan.

Rabbi Feld and his wife, Ashley, will move from Dunwoody to Buckhead with their three young children. Ashley Feld is Director of Evaluation and Quality Assurance at Jewish Family & Career Services.