Our Clergy and Staff

Rabbi Nick Renner

Rabbi Nick Renner is the spiritual leader and mara d'atra of Congregation Beth Shalom. He served as CBS's Associate Rabbi and Director of Lifelong Learning from 2021 until May 2024, which also marked his 10^th year as a rabbi. 

Prior to joining CBS Rabbi Renner was the Senior Jewish Educator at Hillel at the University of Delaware (UD). He worked with undergraduate students, the religious life programming board, and Hillel’s engagement internship. He also taught academic courses in UD’s Jewish Studies program. 

Before Delaware Hillel, Rabbi Renner served as Assistant Rabbi at Congregation Kehillat Israel (KI) in Pacific Palisades, CA. At KI, Rabbi Renner worked with the Israel Matters Committee and taught sessions on contemporary Israel. Rabbi Renner led Confirmation and he started KI's Teen Talmud group. He taught the Saturday Torah Class as well as Tales of the Talmud for adults. He was also the clergy representative to KI's Tikkun Olam committee.

Rabbi Renner received his MA and the title of Rabbi from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 2014. A native of Chapel Hill, NC, Rabbi Renner earned his BA in International Comparative Studies (ICS) from Duke University. He won the ICS Distinguished Thesis Award upon graduation for his thesis on the 2005 Israeli disengagement from Gaza.

Over twenty years, Rabbi Renner has played guitar and bass in a range of musical groups, in styles including rock, funk, blues, hip hop, jazz, and folk. He has played live and in studios in Chapel Hill and Durham, NC; Netanya, Israel; Philadelphia, PA; West L.A.; and Wilmington, DE.