Rabbi Aaron Stucker-Rozovsky joined our temple family on August 1, 2020. Born in Nova Scotia, he was raised along the eastern seaboard, including spending several years in Richmond, Virginia where he had his bar mitzvah and graduated from high school.
Rabbi Stucker-Rozovsky graduated from Providence College with a BA in History (2008), then earned an MS in International Studies with a concentration in Latin America from Central Connecticut State University (2012). He also earned an MA in Hebrew Letters from the Cincinnati campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR)(2017). In 2018, he received smicha (Rabbinical ordination) from HUC-JIR. During his time at HUC, Rabbi Rozovsky was the student Rabbi for congregations in Petoskey, Michigan and Terre Haute, Indiana.
Before joining Beth El Congregation, Rabbi Stucker-Rozovsky was the Director of Rabbinical Services for the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL) in Jackson, Mississippi for two years. He served ISJL-affiliated congregations in 13 southern states that did not have full-time Rabbis of their own.
In addition to his Rabbinical endeavors, Rabbi Stucker-Rozovsky has been in military service for over 17 years. Having enlisted in 2006, he was commissioned as a Military Police Officer from Providence College Army ROTC in 2008. While serving as an MP, he deployed to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from 2009-2010 as a Quick Reaction Force Platoon Leader and to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan from 2011-2012 as Night Operations Battle Captain.
During his first year of seminary, which took place in Jerusalem, Israel, he served as a Liaison Officer to trauma psychologists of the Israel Defense Forces, learning their version of Master Resilience Training.
Since becoming a Chaplain, he has the distinction of being the first Jewish Chaplain in the 222-year history of the Mississippi National Guard and the first known Jewish Chaplain in the 383-year history of the Rhode Island Army National Guard. He currently holds the rank of Major and is serving in the Virginia Army National Guard.
Rabbi Stucker-Rozovsky is joined in Winchester by his wonderful wife and Rebbetzin Eliza Stucker-Rozovsky. The Rebbetzin is a graduate of Furman University (BS, Biology and Chemistry, 2012) and Loyola University (dual MA and MDiv, 2016). Eliza received her PsyD, Doctor of Psychology, from James Madison University.
In their spare time, Rabbi Aaron and Eliza enjoy hitting the gym, hiking, preparing gourmet meals, visiting farmers’ markets, and most importantly, spoiling their four rescue cats, Goonie, Rilke, Walter and Stumpy and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Moshe.