Rabbi Ariel Ya’akov Dunat
Rabbi Ariel Ya’akov Dunat (they/them) is a proud midwestern native, born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. Rabbi Ariel received their undergraduate degrees in French and Comparative Religious Studies from Wright State University before moving to New York City to pursue rabbinic ordination at the Jewish Theological Seminary, also receiving a master’s degree in Halakhah and Rabbinic Literature.
Rabbi Ariel is impassioned about halakhah and its relationship with the multifaceted identities we hold as individuals. For the past four years, they have served on the steering committee of the Trans Halakha Project, authoring two responsa on conversion and reproduction within the LGBTQA community.
In addition to this work, Rabbi Ariel is a certified shochet—an expert in kosher slaughter, bringing a commitment to ethical practice, sustainability, and egalitarian values to the kosher world.
Rabbi Ariel has been deeply engaged in communities across the U.S. and Israel—as a sheliach tzibbur, gabbai, leyner, teacher, and volunteer. Alongside halakhah, they have a love for liturgy and theology, using both as tools for connection, meaning-making, and spiritual care.
Rabbi Ariel is excited to make Burlington home with their husband, Jason, and shih tzu, Jacques. Together, they enjoy cooking, hosting meals and board games, and exploring their local area—especially its historic and cultural landmarks.
Cantor Jessica Silverberg
Originally from Portland, Oregon, Cantor Jessica Woolf Silverberg received a Bachelor of Music in Music History from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and her ordination and Masters in Jewish Studies from Hebrew College. She has served as interim Cantor at TCS in Connecticut and Har Zion in Pennsylvania. She has held the role of High Holiday Hazzan at pulpits in Baltimore; Charleston, South Carolina and Texas. She served on the Judaic Studies faculty at the Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island and as Minyan Coordinator and Temple Educator at Temple Emanu-El in Providence. She was a LEEP (Leadership for Emerging Education Professionals) Fellow and part of the tefillah leadership team for NewCAJE.
Cantor Silverberg plays multiple musical instruments including oboe, violin, and guitar. She regularly attends the North American Jewish Choral Festival, where she has performed with Zemer Chai, the Jewish Chorale of the Nation’s Capital and the Zamir Chorale of Boston. She hoped to organize a coral signing group in Vermont once she gets settled.
In her free time, she enjoys cooking, hosting Shabbat dinners, playing board games, and spending time with her husband Dr. Steve Silverberg, an astrophysicist.
