Eric Sbar, Student Rabbi
We are pleased to announce that Eric Sbar, who has served as BKB’s Student Rabbi for 2024-2025, will again serve BKB in 2025-2026. Eric will be a 3rd year Hebrew Union College student in 2025-2026. Eric and his wife Missy have four children ages 10 to 22 and live in Riverside where they have been active members of Temple Beth El for the past 16 years.
Eric has decades of experience in both music and math education and completed a successful 18-year career at the non-profit MIND Research Institute where his work positively impacted millions of elementary students across the US.
Eric is a lifelong learner and spiritual seeker, and his journey to a second (or third!) career as a rabbi has been a slow and steady yet persistent path over the last 20 years. He is always eager to use music, meditation, text study, and nature-connection as tools for Jewish spiritual growth. In addition to being the religious school song leader for Temple Beth El, Eric and Missy led an adult Jewish chanting group at TBE for several years which created meaningful community and connections.
Eric has gotten to know the members of the BKB community and is excited to continue to grow and learn together this year. His family has been able to join our Lancaster community for some of the services and events, as we enjoy continuing to get to know each other and celebrating Jewish life together.
Alan Henkin, Rabbi Emeritus
After four years as BKB’s part time rabbi, Rabbi Alan Henkin retired in June 2022. Rabbi Henkin previously served as the Congregation’s full-time rabbi throughout the 1990s. During this time, Rabbi Henkin demonstrated exceptional creativity, skills and passion in his leadership of worship services, Jewish education for all ages, and pastoral work. Because of his exceptional service to BKB, BKB honored Rabbi Henkin with the title of Rabbi Emeritus and renamed the BKB Religious School Fund the Rabbi Alan Henkin Religious Fund upon his retirement.
Before Rabbi Henkin returned to BKB in 2018, he had retired as the Director of Placement for the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the North American rabbinic organization of Reform rabbis. He continued to assist the CCAR as a special consultant and Placement Director Emeritus. Prior to that, for eleven years he served as the Regional Director for the Union for Reform Judaism, the congregational arm of the Reform Movement in Judaism. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California’s School of Religion, and he served Temple Beth Solomon of the Deaf for ten years, becoming fluent in sign language.
Rabbi Henkin has four adult children and five grandchildren. He returned to the Antelope Valley in 2017 to be close to his children and grandchildren. Rabbi Henkin is a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, and he is absolutely convinced they only won the World Series in 2016 because every night during the Series he wore a different Cubs outfit.
Temple Administrator Tina Spohn
Temple Administrator Tina Spohn joined BKB in the Spring of 2018. Her office hours are 8 am to 12 pm Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
In addition to her professional duties, Tina has become an active participant in BKB activities such as the Pastrami Booth.