A Place to Pray

Who We Are

West End Synagogue is the home for Conservative Judaism in Nashville and the surrounding region of middle Tennessee. With more than 140 years of history in Nashville, our congregation combines respect for our traditions with a contemporary approach to Jewish Life and learning. A diverse, egalitarian congregation, we welcome all who seek to learn Torah, observe our holidays and find spiritual meaning through our daily minyans and Shabbat services.

The celebration of family life-cycle events, intelligent, topical programming, adult education, community social action and our concert and cultural series make West End Synagogue more than just a place to worship. Our Beit Miriam Religious School provides a Jewish educational foundation for our children and takes students through B’nai Mitzvah and beyond.

We invite you to join us for a service, a class or an adult education program to meet some of our members and to experience first-hand The West End Synagogue Family.

OUR Team

SENIOR RABBI
JOSHUA KULLOCK

Rabbi Joshua Kullock was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he studied at The Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano (The JTS of the “Real South,” as he likes to describe it). He holds A B.A. Degree in Jewish Thought and Bible Studies from The University of Haifa and a M.A. Degree in Jewish Thought, Talmud and Halacha from The Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. He is also a graduate from The Senior Educators Program at The Melton Centre For Jewish Education (Hebrew University).

Before coming to Nashville, Rabbi Joshua served in Guadalajara, Mexico, for seven years. During his tenure there he became the Executive Director of The Union Of Jewish Congregations of Latin America and The Caribbean (UJCL) and took A leading role at The Executive Board Of The Latin American Rabbinical Assembly.

Rabbi Joshua likes to play the piano, is an avid soccer fan and spends part of his free time reading all kinds of books. He is married to Jessica and they are the proud parents of three wonderful girls.

ENGAGEMENT RABBI
NATAN FRELLER

Rav Natan is a native of São Paulo, Brazil, where he grew up going to a Jewish Summer Camp, a leader in his Zionist Youth Movement, and teaching Bnei Mitzvah students for over 10 years. After graduating in Business, Marketing, and Entrepreneurship, and working as a business consultant for a couple of years; Rav Natan became the rabbinic intern in his home community before moving to the US.

In Los Angeles, Rav Natan graduated from the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies with a master’s in rabbinic studies from American Jewish University, where he received a prize for Academic Excellence in Rabbinic Literature. While studying in Israel, Rav Natan studied to become a shochet (ritual slaughterer) and later became the head mashgiach (Kashrut supervisor) for the American Jewish University and Camp Ramah in California. He’s currently the chair of the Ethical Sourcing of Animal Products committee of the Rabbinical Assembly.

Since his rabbinic ordination, Rav Natan has led Congregation Etz Hayim, a vibrant, diverse, highly educated, and civically engaged community in Northern Virginia for 3 years and is very excited about his move to Nashville and to be a rabbi at WES. Rav Natan is excited to go to Titans games and explore the area on his bike with his wife Bel.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORY
DEBBY WISTON

Debby Wiston grew up in Richmond, Virginia and attended the Joint Program between Columbia University and The Jewish Theological Seminary, where she double majored in Political Science and Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies.

For the last 25 years, Debby has worked in both the Jewish and the secular non-profit world in a variety of roles, including as the Director of Operations at Vanderbilt Hillel, the Development Director for the Akiva Jewish Day School and as the founding Executive Director of the Nashville Business Committee for the Arts. In addition to her professional roles, Debby has always been an active Board Member and Executive Board Member for multiple organizations from Camp Ramah Darom to West End Synagogue.

Debby and her family have been members at West End for over 20 years. Her children have grown up at WES and two (Leo and Celia) are proud graduates of Beit Miriam Religious School and will begin college in the Fall. She lives in Hendersonville with her husband, Stuart, and two younger children, Zev and Maytal. Debby is passionate about Camp Ramah Darom and USY and still spends much of her free time working with these groups.

DIRECTOR OF LIFELONG LEARNING
SHARON PAZ

Sharon Paz, herself a graduate of West End Synagogue Religious School, spent a gap year, living and studying in Israel on The Young Judaea Year Course Program. Upon her return to The States she pursued her Interest In Judaism at The Jewish Theological Seminary in NY and at Spertus College of Judaica in Chicago where she received her B.S. in Jewish Studies, a Hebrew Teacher’s Certificate and a Master’s Degree in Jewish Education.

 

Returning to Nashville after college, Sharon taught Hebrew and Jewish Studies in The WES Religious School and served as The Director Of The Nashville Jewish Resource Center and Director Of The CRC of The Nashville Jewish Federation. She was Principal of The Shalom School, a Joint Conservative-Reform Religious School in Savannah, GA, and, served as the Director Of The Savannah Jewish Federation for 12 years. In Scottsdale, Arizona, Sharon was the lead Judaic Studies Teacher for 4Th-8Th graders at The King David/Jess Schwartz Jewish Community Day School for three years and later served as Associate Director of Hebrew and Instruction at Congregation Beth Elohim (CBE), a supplementary school of 200 students in Park Slope (Brooklyn).

 

Sharon is married to Moises Paz and between them they have 5 children and 12 grandchildren.

LIEUTENANT JOHN BATTY

Lieutenant John Batty Is a Metro Nashville Police Officer. He
has been on the force for over 30 years and been with
West End Synagogue for over 15 years.

KKAI CEMETERY HOURS

A SECURITY GUARD IS PRESENT ON THE GROUNDS SUNDAYS 10 A.M. – 2 P.M. 
Cemetery Hours: Sunday – Thursday 9 A.M -5 P.M. Friday’s: 9 A.M. – 2 P.M.

(We Are Closed On All Jewish Holidays)

WES EXECUTIVE BOARD OFFICERS

President – Barry Allen

Executive Vice President – Ben Doochin

First Vice President – Brian Lapidus

Second Vice President – John Hassenfeld

Secretary – Helen Crowley

Treasurer – John Dab