On August 15th, 2008 we welcomed Rabbi Edward M. Maline, D.D. to our JCMI family

Rabbi Maline joined Cantorial Soloist, Hari Jacobsen on the bemah. Rabbi Maline is a graduate of Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont where he majored in romance languages and philosophy. While at Middlebury he sensed the call to the rabbinate and founded the B'nai B'rith Hillel Foundation, Jewish association for college youth, which is now in its fiftieth this year.

Upon graduation he was awarded a Senator Fulbright Fellowship to study in Paris at the Sorbonne and the International Institute for Hebraic Studies. The international institute was founded by the World Union for Progressive Judaism. He continued his studies at the Hebrew Union-College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati where he earned both his Bachelor and Master Degrees in Hebrew letters and later was ordained Rabbi. He interrupted his rabbinic studies to serve as rabbinic intern at the Liberal Jewish Synagogue in London, England at a time when there was critical shortage of Rabbis in Europe.

He returned to the states and served as Associate Rabbi at Temple Ohabei Shalom in Brookline, Massachusetts and later served congregations in Boston and Philadelphia before coming to South Florida. He served twenty years as rabbi of Temple Emanu-El of Greater Ft. Lauderdale, the oldest temple in Broward County. Temple Emanu-El merged withTemple Kol Ami and he served in the combined temple Temple Kol Ami Emanu-El. He recently served as adjunct professor of Judaic studies at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton and lectured frequently for the Elder Hostel Program of Palm Beach County.

After twenty-five years of distinguished service as a rabbi, Maline was awarded the degree of Doctor of Divinity by Hebrew Union College. He has been a rabbi for forty-five years, has been greatly influenced by Jewish philosophers Abraham Heschel, Mordecai Kaplan, and Martin Buber.

Rabbi plans to enhance the adult education programs at JCMI and hopes that JCMI will experience growth with the new programs and changes that he initiates. In additional to teaching, preaching and serving the pastoral needs of our congregation, he also plans to continue interfaith activities and to be of service to the community.

Rabbi Maline has also been a member of the rabbinic cabinet of the State of Israel Bonds and frequently travels to Israel to promote investment in Israel. Travel is one of his favorite pursuits.

He has been married to Marilyn Diemont for forty-three years. They met when he served as associate rabbi in Boston. Rabbi Maline and Marilyn are the parents of two children; a son, Michael, a practicing attorney in New York City and a daughter Pamela, a Doctoral Candidate at the Carlos Albizu University in Miami. They are also grandparents of five grandchildren.