The Temple Habonim Board of Trustees recently announced the arrival of Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman to begin as Temple Habonim’s next rabbi, starting Wednesday, July 1.

"We are honored and delighted to welcome him to our congregation and our community," stated a press release from the temple board.

Rabbi Howard comes to Temple Habonim with a wealth of experience, a warm compassionate demeanor, a passion for education, and a strong history of social justice work. He fills the vacancy left by Rabbi Andrew Klein, who retired from Temple Habonim recently.

Rabbi Howard has been a member of the Board of Rabbis of Greater Rhode Island, serves on the Board of the Rhode Island Coalition to Reduce Poverty, and has been an advocate for legislation on behalf of public health and safety, fair wages, and fair housing, among other issues.

Rabbi Voss-Altman was ordained from the Cincinnati Campus of HUC-JIR in 1999 and served as an Assistant Rabbi of North Shore Congregation Israel in Glencoe, Ill. from 1999 until 2002. From 2002 through 2015 he served as the rabbi of Temple B’nai Tikvah in Calgary, Alberta, where his rabbinate focused on building a strong spiritual community, pastoral care and counseling, and community and social justice issues. From 2015 until this summer, Rabbi Voss-Altman served as the Senior Rabbi of Temple Beth-El in Providence.

"We look forward to a partnership in spirituality, in Jewish education for all ages, in social justice advocacy, and in nurturing the connection that helps define Temple Habonim," stated the release. "We extend a warm welcome to Rabbi Howard, his wife Annie, and their three children Emilie, Judah, and Adi."