There’s No Place Like Home

Rabbi Shai Specht-Sandler has lived in three countries and several cities across the United States, so he knows what it feels like to search for a place to call home. Now he also knows what it feels like to find it. For the past year, he has felt right at home as the full-time rabbi of Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation (SOJC).

“When I arrived here for a meet and greet, I fell in love with the community,” says Rabbi Shai.

During his next visit to SOJC, this time with husband Jeff, Rabbi Shai felt even more welcome.

“It was like a breath of fresh air,” he says. “It was one of those times where we didn’t feel like we were ‘the gay couple.’ This was the first time where we said, ‘This is home.’”

The Sound of Music

The couple met in New York City 23 years ago, where Jeff was working as a senior fashion buyer and Rabbi Shai was an education rabbi, creating family programs, consulting with schools, and writing Jewish children’s music. His passion for music began in childhood. He had the opportunity to study with Reb Shlomo Carlebach (who was known as the Singing Rabbi) as a student at the King David High School in England. Rabbi Shai’s family moved to England from Israel when he was 13.

“That really started my love of Jewish music and education,” says Rabbi Shai, who has also worked in the secular music field, writing original songs for television shows in the 1990s and opening for the band Sugar Ray. “The Juilliard School scouted me and offered me a spot, but I didn’t go because they didn’t have musical theater at the time.”

Rabbi Shai ultimately decided to pursue the rabbinate, studying rabbinics at Orthodox yeshivas, learning with Chabad teachers in Israel, and earning his rabbinic ordination from Rabbinical Seminary International in New York. He also has a degree in education from Prescott College.

When Jeff’s new job as a senior buyer for Caesars Entertainment prompted a move from New York to Las Vegas, Rabbi Shai began leading Temple Bet Knesset Bamidbar. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he also started a virtual congregation called Or Ahavah Kehillah, which reached 500 members. After the October 7 attacks on Israel, however, Rabbi Shai was ready for a change. He wanted to empower congregants to feel proud of their Judaism, especially in the face of heightened antisemitism. At the same time, SOJC was looking for a passionate new leader.

Make Me a Match

“I’m in a rabbinic group, and someone emailed about a small congregation in Orlando,” says Rabbi Shai. “The description really spoke to me. I said, ‘I’ll send my résumé and see what happens.’ They immediately contacted me back. By the time I got here, we were sold.”

Rabbi Shai, Jeff, and their Schnoodle rescue dog Cooper have settled into their home in the Dr. Phillips community, just six minutes away from SOJC. The couple refers to Jeff as rebbetz, a play on rebbetzin, the Yiddish word for rabbi’s wife.

“We are a rabbi and rebbetz who are very involved in the community,” says Rabbi Shai. “Jeff puts together the kiddush and oneg, and he prepares some of the food.”

They enjoy having congregants over for dinner and spending time with them outside of synagogue. And sometimes Cooper even goes to temple with them.

“When I walked into SOJC, we had this beautiful community,” says Rabbi Shai. “But we also realized the Southwest Orlando community is really growing and there was a need for something more. We made services a little more exciting. We enhanced kiddushes with lox, herring, and bagels. Just uplifting the energy. My goal is really to have a place people can call home.”

With around 160 member families and 60 children in its religious school, SOJC is growing, and Rabbi Shai is meeting the congregation’s changing needs with innovative programming. For example, in an adult education class he described as Mel Robbins meets Moses, Rabbi Shai injected Jewish content into the author and podcaster’s bestselling book, The Let Them Theory. SOJC also collaborates with Rosen JCC, situated on the same campus.

“We want to be a home for people, whether it’s visitors or people who live here,” says Rabbi Shai. “We want to make sure the Jewish world continues and that kids and adults feel proud of their Judaism.”