Rabbi Sharon Barr Skolnik was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio in a house filled with music. Her father, an Israeli guitarist, and her mother, a pianist and cantor, instilled a love of the Hebrew language and Israeli culture in her, and nurtured a deep connection to Judaism and its traditions. Studying throughout her elementary and middle school years at the Solomon Schechter Day School Cleveland, her eyes were opened to the vast corpus of Jewish knowledge and she didn’t want to stop learning. Sharon attended Brandeis University, in Waltham, Massachusetts, where she received her BA with majors in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and Hebrew Language and Literature in 2004. Sharon’s deep love for Israel also prompted her to write Brandeis’ first-ever thesis written entirely in Hebrew, on Israeli music and how its lyrics are reflective of the generation’s political situation.
While at Brandeis University she became integrally involved in the Jewish community, and it was during a Friday night service that the talented prayer leader, Hillel Skolnik, caught her eye. Sharing a love of Judaism and tradition they fell in love and were married in 2006. Sharon continued her studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City and was ordained in 2009 with an MA in Hebrew letters. Her husband, now Rabbi Hillel Skolnik, also received his ordination at JTS in 2011. Sharon continually makes Judaism meaningful and accessible to her students through: Women’s Torah classes, interactive Tot Shabbat services, bar and bat mitzvah tutoring, religious school curriculum development, and Women’s Shabbatonim/retreats, as examples. Throughout various teaching forums for both children and adults, Sharon strives to bring Torah to life for her students through the use of innovative, in-depth text studies, drama, visual arts, and creative writing. She is actively involved in worship services and additionally, invites students into her house for hands-on instruction on creating a Jewish home. Sharon has spent many summers on staff in leadership positions at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires, New York. During a summer internship at the Cleveland Clinic, Sharon also developed a passion for chaplaincy and spiritual care, and particularly looks forward to continued experiences in this rabbinic area.
She creates extraordinary experiences when officiating at unique Jewish life cycle ceremonies, including: weddings, baby namings, B’nai mitzvah, conversion and funerals. Her passion is to help families find meaningful and personal ways of transforming both everyday and special moments into sacred events.
Sharon lives in sunny Orlando, Florida with her wonderful husband Hillel (senior rabbi at the Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation), and beautiful, growing children: Dafna (9), Liav (6) and Hadar (3). When Sharon is not working or chasing her children, she enjoys beading, ethnic cooking, and spending time with her family.
Download Sharon’s resume
