About JCNP

Since our founding in 1964, Kehillat Ahavat Achim, the Jewish Congregation of New Paltz, has been a vibrant, egalitarian and intergenerational community, open to all Jews (by birth and by affiliation): singles, families, LGBTQ, interracial, interfaith couples and families. We are a place of prayer where individuals with varied spiritual goals and leanings find a comfortable home, and we are committed to creative education and meaningful Jewish study for our children and adult members. JCNP is in a vibrant community that leverages its proximity to a vast array of amenities to bolster the intellectual and spiritual life of the congregation. JCNP is a reconstructionist synagogue and a member of the Ulster County Jewish Federation.

Our Rabbi

Adam Cerino-Jones

Rabbi Adam Cerino-Jones joined JCNP in 2022. He is continuing JCNP’s tradition of service and inclusiveness. Rabbi Adam believes that a synagogue should be a place where all Jews, Jew-adjacent loved ones, and those interested in Judaism should not only feel welcome and safe, but heard, respected, and valued. This means meeting people where they are and accompanying them on whatever the path of their life looks like. Rabbi Adam is a recent graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RCC) who has been involved with multiple congregations, Jewish Student Unions, and served as hospital chaplain in an oncology unit. He also has more than 15 years of musical training and won the Evelyn R. Mehlman Jewish Music Award for 2020-21.

About Reconstructionist Judaism

"Reconstructionists approach Judaism—and life—with deep consideration of the past and a passion to relate it to the present. Applying our understanding of Judaism as the evolving religious civilization of the Jewish people, we draw from the rich wellsprings of Jewish tradition to face the challenges and opportunities of the current moment."

"We believe that an embrace of diversity—in ways of being Jewish, in religious practice, in who is centered in community life and leadership—is both a strength and a requirement. Following Kaplan’s lead, we continually work to expand the boundaries of the Jewish community without watering down what it means to be Jewish."

"We seek to engage the glorious range of Jews and the people who love us as community members and conversation partners. We believe we find our humanity most powerfully in communal conversation. We are clear that the Jewish community must make space for all individuals in our fullness, and that in doing so, the community itself will be continually remade."