Perry Raphael Rank

Perry Raphael Rank was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he attended the University of Minnesota, earning a BA in Hebrew in 1976. He received an MA and Rabbinic ordination from The Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 1981. Before coming to Midway Jewish Center, Syosset, NY (1999), he was the spiritual leader of two other congregations: Congregation Shomrei Emunah Montclair, New Jersey  1981-1987  and Temple Beth Ahm Springfield, New Jersey 1987-1999. During his eighteen years in New Jersey, he sat on the national board of MERCAZ--the Movement to Reaffirm Conservative Zionism and in October of 1994, he became President of the RANJ.

Rabbi Rank chaired the 1994 and 1995 international conventions of the Rabbinical Assembly and served as president of the international Rabbinical Assembly in 2004-06. He is coeditor of the newly revised Rabbi's Manual for the Rabbinical Assembly, Moreh Derekh, a work that is becoming the manual of choice for Reform, Conservative, and even some Orthodox rabbis.

He is married to the former Ellen Simson of Springfield, NJ, also a Jewish educator, author, and educational consultant. Rabbi Rank and Ellen have three children--Rami, Shuli, and Jonah.