Meet Rabbi Adam Wright

Congregation BJBE (B’nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim) announced that Rabbi Adam M. Wright has been appointed as the congregation’s next Senior Rabbi, beginning July 1, 2026. Rabbi Wright joins BJBE after serving as senior rabbi at Temple Emanu-El in Birmingham, Alabama since 2019.

Rabbi Wright succeeds a storied rabbinic legacy at BJBE, building on the enduring impact of Rabbi Karyn Kedar, whose creative foresight inspired BJBE’s current beautiful home in Deerfield, and Rabbi Mark Shapiro (z”l), who led the congregation for nearly four decades and served as the visionary who brought together B’nai Jehoshua and Beth Elohim in 1965.

In a message to the congregation, Rabbi Wright reflected on his personal relationship with Rabbi Shapiro, who was his ordination mentor. “Rabbi Shapiro taught me the foundations of lifecycle presence: how to show up; how to listen; how to carry holiness into moments of joy and moments of heartbreak. He spoke with such pride about BJBE, about its congregational excellence, devotion to Zionism, and scholarship. Looking back now, those conversations feel less like coincidence and more like roots quietly planted long before I knew where I would one day stand.”

For BJBE leaders, Rabbi Wright’s blend of pastoral depth, visionary community-building, and commitment to Jewish learning and Jewish peoplehood made him a powerful fit for the congregation’s next chapter. Steffanie Pinsky, BJBE Board President, said, “Rabbi Wright brings a rare blend of warmth, scholarship, and courageous leadership. Throughout the search process, we were inspired by his clarity of purpose, his devotion to congregational life, and his commitment to building lasting Jewish memory. We are thrilled to welcome Rabbi Wright and his family to Deerfield.”

At his previous congregation, Rabbi Wright strengthened synagogue life through wide-ranging innovations: reimagining Shabbat and holiday worship, creating Birmingham’s first Hebrew ulpan program (teaching modern Hebrew to adults), establishing a community religious school, and launching new membership approaches that brought dozens of young families into the congregation. Following October 7, 2023, he organized citywide vigils, interfaith solidarity events, and weekly prayers for hostages, deepening relationships across Birmingham’s Jewish and interfaith communities.
A committed scholar, Rabbi Wright earned a Master of Theological Studies at Vanderbilt University, focusing on the Ancient Near East and Early Judaism, and holds additional graduate degrees in Hebrew Letters and Jewish Education, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Jewish Nonprofit Management from Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion. He is currently pursuing a doctorate at HUC–JIR, with research focused on contemporary antisemitism. His work and scholarship have been recognized with awards including HUC–JIR’s Samson H. Levey Prize and Vanderbilt’s Nella May Overby Memorial Award.
Rabbi Wright is a fellow of the Amplify Israel Rabbinic Fellowship, serves as board chair of Rabbis United (a division of StandWithUs), and is a member of the Zionist Rabbinic Coalition. He also serves the wider civic community as a chaplain for the Mountain Brook Police Department and as a founding member of the Highland Interfaith Society.
Originally from West Bloomfield, Michigan, Rabbi Wright is married to Dr. Rachel Wright, an internist and pediatrician. Together they are raising their three children, Lillian, Maisie, and Teddy.​

Rabbi Wright and his family look forward to meeting the BJBE community this summer and beginning a new chapter together.