About Rabbi Barbara
| Italian Heritage |
Rabbi Barbara speaks
Italian and is a first
generation American
whose family originates in
Italy. Her father, Antonio
Aiello was raised in
Calabria in the small
mountain village of
Serrastretta in the
Province of Catanzaro, and
worked with the Partigiani
(Italian Partisans) during
World War II.
Italian and is a first
generation American
whose family originates in
Italy. Her father, Antonio
Aiello was raised in
Calabria in the small
mountain village of
Serrastretta in the
Province of Catanzaro, and
worked with the Partigiani
(Italian Partisans) during
World War II.
Rabbi Barbara Aiello
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Rabbi Barbara is the
National Chaplain for
Bugles Across America,
a volunteer organization
that is dedicated to
honoring military
veterans by playing
TAPS at their funerals.
National Chaplain for
Bugles Across America,
a volunteer organization
that is dedicated to
honoring military
veterans by playing
TAPS at their funerals.
Email rabbi@rabbibarbara.com
Today you can find Rabbi Barbara deep in the “toe
of the boot,” where she serves Synagogue Ner
Tamid del Sud (The Eternal Light of the South), the
first active congregation in Calabria since
Inquisition times. Its affiliate organization, The
Italian Jewish Cultural Center of Calabria, or
IjCCC, focuses on the unique and nearly lost
Jewish culture of the “anousim” of southern Italy.
The center helps Calabrians and Sicilians find
and embrace their Jewish roots.
Rabbi Barbara was born in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania and is the daughter of a liberator of
the Buchenwald concentration camp. She is a
graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania
where she received the Distinguised Alumni
Award. She holds a MS from The George
Washington University in Washington DC and
received “smeicha” (rabbinic ordination) from The
Rabbinical Seminary International and the
Rabbinical Academy in New York City.
In addition, Rabbi Barbara is a founding member
and board member of the International Federation
of Rabbis (IFR). In the winter months, she returns
to the United States where she is resident rabbi at
the Kobernick House, a senior Jewish residence
in Sarasota, Florida. She also hosts a radio
program, The Radio Rabbi, broadcast on WGUL
AM 860 in Tampa, Florida and podcast around the
world. .
In her “other life” before the rabbinate, Rabbi
Barbara created The Kids on the Block puppet
program used around the world to teach children
and adults to accept and appreciate difference and
diversity. She is an award-winning author of a
children’s book series based upon her Kids on the
Block characters.
Rabbi Barbara has been honored as a
Washingtonian of the Year, by The Washingtonian
Magazine, named a “Good Parent to Know,” by
Parents Magazine and received the Surgeon
General’s Medallion for Excellence in Public
Health from Dr. C. Everett Koop. Her work has
been featured in dozens of newspapers and
magazines in the US and throughout Europe,
including Hadassah Magazine, Vanity Fair Italy and
the European Herald American.
Dedicated to serving Jews of all backgrounds,
including interfaith couples and families, Rabbi
Barbara performs personalized interfaith wedding
ceremonies throughout the US and Europe, Bar
and Bat Mitzvah preparation and ceremonies in
Italy and Florida which are specially designed to
welcome and celebrate the participation of
interfaith parents on the bimah.
“As an Italian Jew who discovered my own roots
in Calabria, It is my honor and my joy to serve
Jews of all background and offer them a
pluralistic approach to our Jewish heritage and
traditions. For those who are just beginning to
make their own Jewish connections, we are
here to help you and welcome you. For those
who are searching for an open and welcoming
Jewish experience, we open our door and our
hearts to all.”
Rabbi Barbara Aiello
of the boot,” where she serves Synagogue Ner
Tamid del Sud (The Eternal Light of the South), the
first active congregation in Calabria since
Inquisition times. Its affiliate organization, The
Italian Jewish Cultural Center of Calabria, or
IjCCC, focuses on the unique and nearly lost
Jewish culture of the “anousim” of southern Italy.
The center helps Calabrians and Sicilians find
and embrace their Jewish roots.
Rabbi Barbara was born in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania and is the daughter of a liberator of
the Buchenwald concentration camp. She is a
graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania
where she received the Distinguised Alumni
Award. She holds a MS from The George
Washington University in Washington DC and
received “smeicha” (rabbinic ordination) from The
Rabbinical Seminary International and the
Rabbinical Academy in New York City.
In addition, Rabbi Barbara is a founding member
and board member of the International Federation
of Rabbis (IFR). In the winter months, she returns
to the United States where she is resident rabbi at
the Kobernick House, a senior Jewish residence
in Sarasota, Florida. She also hosts a radio
program, The Radio Rabbi, broadcast on WGUL
AM 860 in Tampa, Florida and podcast around the
world. .
In her “other life” before the rabbinate, Rabbi
Barbara created The Kids on the Block puppet
program used around the world to teach children
and adults to accept and appreciate difference and
diversity. She is an award-winning author of a
children’s book series based upon her Kids on the
Block characters.
Rabbi Barbara has been honored as a
Washingtonian of the Year, by The Washingtonian
Magazine, named a “Good Parent to Know,” by
Parents Magazine and received the Surgeon
General’s Medallion for Excellence in Public
Health from Dr. C. Everett Koop. Her work has
been featured in dozens of newspapers and
magazines in the US and throughout Europe,
including Hadassah Magazine, Vanity Fair Italy and
the European Herald American.
Dedicated to serving Jews of all backgrounds,
including interfaith couples and families, Rabbi
Barbara performs personalized interfaith wedding
ceremonies throughout the US and Europe, Bar
and Bat Mitzvah preparation and ceremonies in
Italy and Florida which are specially designed to
welcome and celebrate the participation of
interfaith parents on the bimah.
“As an Italian Jew who discovered my own roots
in Calabria, It is my honor and my joy to serve
Jews of all background and offer them a
pluralistic approach to our Jewish heritage and
traditions. For those who are just beginning to
make their own Jewish connections, we are
here to help you and welcome you. For those
who are searching for an open and welcoming
Jewish experience, we open our door and our
hearts to all.”
Rabbi Barbara Aiello
| Raised in Pittsburgh, PA |
Rabbi Barbara's father,
Antonio, played trumpet in the
Lodge Band of The Italian
Sons & Daughters of America
in Pittsburgh, PA.
Antonio, played trumpet in the
Lodge Band of The Italian
Sons & Daughters of America
in Pittsburgh, PA.
| © 2007 Rabbi Barbara Aiello, All rights reserved. |
Rabbi Barbara Aiello was
guest speaker at a special
interfaith service in Bergamo,
Italy. The service celebrated
the 40th anniversary of
"Nostra Aetate," the Papal
Encyclical that affirmed the
Jewish religion as the "older
sibling" of the Christian
church. The service was led
by Don Patrizio Rota
Scalabrini and Don Ilario Girelli
of the Parish of San Giuseppe
in Bergamo. It included music
and song from both the
Catholic and Jewish tradition.
Rabbi Aiello spoke about the
words found inside the
mezzuzah, words shared by
both faiths.
guest speaker at a special
interfaith service in Bergamo,
Italy. The service celebrated
the 40th anniversary of
"Nostra Aetate," the Papal
Encyclical that affirmed the
Jewish religion as the "older
sibling" of the Christian
church. The service was led
by Don Patrizio Rota
Scalabrini and Don Ilario Girelli
of the Parish of San Giuseppe
in Bergamo. It included music
and song from both the
Catholic and Jewish tradition.
Rabbi Aiello spoke about the
words found inside the
mezzuzah, words shared by
both faiths.
Before becoming a rabbi,
Barbara Aiello was creator of
The Kids on the Block puppets,
(1977) an international
company dedicated to teaching
children and adults to accept
and appreciate differences and
disabilities. The puppets are in
use today in every US state
and 33 countries.
Barbara Aiello was creator of
The Kids on the Block puppets,
(1977) an international
company dedicated to teaching
children and adults to accept
and appreciate differences and
disabilities. The puppets are in
use today in every US state
and 33 countries.
