Rabbi Steven Finley

Rabbi Steven Finley

Contact

finleyst@sonoma.edu

Office Hours

I was raised in Southern California, beginning my younger years in Compton, and later moving to Long Beach where I attended high school. My Jewish identity flourished as a child, and upon graduation, I decided to travel to the Middle East, mostly residing in Israel. I lived on a kibbutz (communal farm settlement) in the Jezreel Valley, and eventually began my higher education, earning a Bachelor’s in Linguistics and English Literature as well as acquiring teaching credentials. Over the ensuing ten years, I taught elementary, middle and high school English on various Jewish farm settlements and in Arab Christian and Arab Muslim towns and villages. During those years, I met my wife to be Yaffa, and we married in 1996.

With family in tow, I returned to Southern California after roughly twenty years in Israel and immediately began working in the Los Angeles Jewish community as I furthered my education. Within a few years, I had earned an MA in Jewish Education at the American Jewish University. From there, I enrolled in rabbinical school, and in 2009 I received my ordination at the Academy for Jewish Religion, CA.

My first rabbinic full-time position came a year later when I was hired by the Beth Israel Community Center in Mexico City, Mexico. I had an incredible experience, serving in full capacity in all aspects of the religious, spiritual and communal life of the community. When this contracted time came to an end in 2014, I had the good fortune to receive an offer in the beautiful town of Sonoma, California with Congregation Shir Shalom.

My wife Yaffa and I have three children. Our daughter, Ayelet, lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Michael and three young children. Our son Yonatan lives in Israel with his wife Roni, and their two children. Our youngest, Ben, graduated from Sonoma Valley High School in 2017. Ben has done a lot of traveling since graduation, but at present he is back home in Sonoma for the Fall and Winter of 2024/25

I am currently in my eleventh year with Congregation Shir Shalom and look forward to further years as we continue to discover opportunities to build a stronger community.