Rabbi Joshua B. Lief is the Rabbi of historic Temple Shalom, the very same congregation where he grew up, here in Wheeling, West Virginia. As a youngster, he was active in all sports, music, and was an Eagle Scout.
He attended Princeton University, where he swam on the varsity squad, competed on the debate team, and graduated with a degree in History.
After Princeton, Rabbi Lief attended the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. After living in Jerusalem for the first year of the seminary, her completed his studies at HUC-JIR’s campus in Cincinnati, Ohio where he was ordained as a Rabbi in May of 2003.
Just out of the seminary, Rabbi Lief served as the Rabbi of Mizpah Congregation in Chattanooga, Tennessee. For five years, he helped grow the congregation and reached out to the larger community. He was called to be the Senior Rabbi of Congregation Ahavath Chesed, a large congregation in Jacksonville, Florida, where he served from 2008 until 2016. In Jacksonville, he also served on the boards of several major community non-profit organizations, and worked diligently at the local, state, and national levels to ensure equal rights for all citizens.
Rabbi Lief is inspired to serve as the Rabbi of Temple Shalom, enabling him to give back to the congregation and to the city. Having moved away for college, Rabbi Lief is proud to have returned so the next generation of the Lief family can grow up in this special place. Since returning to Wheeling, Rabbi Lief has been active in the city’s current revitalization efforts through support of the arts, business development, our parks, public education, and interfaith engagement. He serves as Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission for the City of Wheeling, and is honored to serve on the boards of Wheeling Health Right, Congregations for Caring, the Impact Coalition, the Unity Center, Easter Seals, and is the past president of the Wheeling Rotary Club.
Rabbi Lief is honored to serve as a member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis’ Responsa Committee, helping to bring Jewish Law to bear on the challenges of our modern lives. He is also a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow, and a Life Member of the National Eagle Scout Association.
Rabbi Lief is married to his beautiful wife Rebecca. They are delighted daily by their adorable daughters, Leah and Ellie, and are proud to make Wheeling their home.