Rabbi Howard S. Herman has served as the Rabbi of the Naples Jewish Congregation and been our spiritual leader for the past seven years. Prior to his moving to Florida in 2016 he was the Rabbi of the Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation-Emek Shalom, a synagogue in Simsbury, Connecticut for 36 years. While in Connecticut Rabbi Herman also served as the Jewish Chaplain at two United States Veterans Hospitals in both Newington and West Haven Connecticut. He also served as adjunct professor of Philosophy at Tunxis Community College in Farmington, Connecticut and at Capitol Community College in Hartford, Connecticut. Rabbi Herman has served as president of the Hartford Board of Rabbis and as president of the Farmington Valley Interfaith Clergy Council. He is an avid baseball fan (New York Yankees), he loves to flyfish in both streams and in the Gulf of Mexico.
Rabbi Herman and his wife Mona live in Venice, Florida. They have three children, six grandchildren and two labradoodles. The rabbi has led many, many tours to Israel and hopes to keep doing so in the future. He loves to teach and lead his students on a spiritual journey that will enable them to feel a closer bond with their heritage and their tradition. Each time he offers an educational experience whether it be through a formal class, or through Shabbat and holiday sermons the rabbi aids his congregants in forging what is known as the “shalshelet hakabbalah’ enabling them to connect to the great “chain of Jewish tradition. At services, be they holiday or Shabbat, Rabbi Herman leads the congregation in making the sanctuary a sanctuary; a place of safety, a place of calm, a place where one’s soul is able to commune with God.