Rabbi Grumbacher came to Frederick after thirty-seven years serving Congregation Beth Emeth in Wilmington, Delaware. Following his retirement in 2009 he worked as a counselor at Jewish Family Services and has taught in a variety of venues including churches and prisons. Before coming to Kol Ami the rabbi served four other congregations as a part-time interim. He views his over half-century rabbinate as having focused on pastoral services. He received certification as a pastoral counselor from New York’s Post-Graduate School of Mental Health, and was awarded a Master’s degree from Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work.
Early in his career he was elected chair of the Delaware Council on Aging and in his retirement served as president of the Jewish Historical Society of Delaware. In the late 1980s Delaware’s then-Governor Michael Castle
appointed the rabbi to be chairperson of the State Human Relations Commission. He was named a Community Builder by the Delaware Region, National Conference of Christians and Jews, and also served as chair of the regional NCCJ.
He and his wife Suzy have been married for fifty-six years. They have three adult children, three granddaughters and three grandsons ranging in age from 23 to almost 6 (Heaven forbid you tell her she’s 5!).
The rabbi looks forward to the time he will be spending with us as our spiritual leader.
Eric Dubbin has been singing at Kol Ami since its inception and has also enjoyed teaching music at our Religious School. He grew up singing Jewish music for the youth choir of his home synagogue (Temple Beth Am in Miami, Florida) and at URJ Camp Coleman in Cleveland, Georgia. Eric has lived in Frederick County since the late ‘90s with his wife Susan and their children Kellianne, Ricky, and Justin. He works for the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine as an executive coach and has practiced veterinary medicine on animals large and small since 1988. His passions include his family and their animals, playing guitar, and being outside. Contact Eric at: .
