Congregation Shaare Tefilla is located in a beautiful North Dallas residential neighborhood. Garden apartments, townhouses, ranch-style homes and gated subdivisions- there’s affordable housing for every family within walking distance of the shul. Bounded by an eruv, our quiet, tree-lined neighborhood is conveniently located just minutes from all types of shopping, downtown and Dallas’ northern suburbs.
Rabbi Ari Perl
Rabbi Ari Perl brought his enthusiasm, dynamism and love of learning to Congregation Shaare Tefilla in July of 2003, after serving as Rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel Abraham & Voliner in Overland Park, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City. While in KC, Rabbi Perl served as posek (halakhic authority) for the Vaad Hakashrut, Eruv, Mikvah and Chevra Kadisha.
Rabbi Perl received his ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (Yeshiva University) and earned a Master’s degree in Jewish History from the Bernard Revel Graduate School for Judaic Studies. Prior to assuming the pulpit at BIAV, Rabbi Perl was Assistant Rabbi at Congregation Ahavath Torah, a large Modern Orthodox synagogue in Englewood, New Jersey.
Together with a group of dedicated lay leaders, Rabbi Perl founded the Community Kollel of Dallas, the first community kollel program established in partnership with Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future, and continues to serve as its Dean. Committed to Orthodoxy’s involvement in the broader Dallas Jewish community, Rabbi Perl serves on the Jewish Federation’s Community Advisory Council, as Rabbinic Advisor to Yavneh Academy and, previously, as an instructor at both the Beyt Midrash of North Texas and the Melton Mini-School.
Rabbi Perl serves as President of the Rabbincial Association of Greater Dallas, on the Rabbinical Council of America’s Executive Committee and on the Rabbinical Advisory Board of American Friends of Yeshivot Bnei Akiva.
Rabbi Perl and his wife Meira are blessed with five children: Tziyona, Elimelekh, Sarit, Assaf & Yamin. Rabbi Perl and Meira are warm and approachable, and the Perls’ home is constantly teeming with guests, from both the local community and afar.
Rabbi Perl’s leadership has ushered in a new and exciting era of vibrancy at Shaare Tefilla. Over the past 4.5 years, the synagogue has more than doubled in size to 195 families and shows no signs of slowing down!
History
Congregation Shaare Tefilla was formed in 1986 with an initial membership of 50 founding families. The Congregation opened its doors on the first day of Chanukah 1986, when, in the words of its first Rabbi, Howard Wolk, the Congregation dedicated its building at 6131 Churchill Way “as a light unto our community.” The Congregation has always maintained a modern Orthodox perspective welcoming Jews from all backgrounds as active members. Under the leadership of Rabbi Wolk, the Congregation quickly established itself as a leading advocate on behalf of important Jewish causes worldwide.
Constructed through the generosity of the Rosenberg family, the Shaare Tefilla building houses a vibrant Congregation clearly identifying itself with our brothers and sisters in the State of Israel. The Synagogue’s members and leadership have always made themselves visible throughout the activities of the Dallas Jewish Federation, as active participants in (and leaders of!) Federation missions to Israel, as proponents of its Kashrut policy, as Federation Board Members or Super Sunday volunteers.
We are honored to have had Rabbi Howard Wolk and Rebbitzen Annette Wolk lead us during the first 15 years of Congregation Shaare Tefilla. Through their tireless efforts, Rabbi and Rebbitzen Wolk and the Congregation spearheaded the building of an Eruv in 1987 (the first in Dallas) and the establishment of a modern Orthodox presence throughout the organized Dallas Jewish community. They pioneered a Torah-based mainstream Orthodox Jewish presence in Dallas, a legacy that has given rise to the continued growth of the Orthodox Jewish community in Dallas today.
From its inception to this very day, Shaare Tefilla prides itself on welcoming all visitors with home hospitality on Shabbat. Congregants look forward to monthly Shabbat meals and weekly Friday night Nosh & Niguns (onegs) at member homes. A wonderful sense of community and friendship pervades the weekly Shabbat morning kiddush and Sunday morning breakfast. Congregation Shaare Tefilla certainly places a premium on Jewish tradition; at the same time we strive to be a synagogue that is both welcoming and accessible to Jews from all backgrounds.
In July of 2003, Congregation Shaare Tefilla welcomed Rabbi Ari Perl as its new spiritual leader. Rabbi Perl- together with his wife, Meira, and their four children- came to Dallas from Kansas City, where he was the Rabbi of Congregation BIAV in Overland Park. Under Rabbi Perl’s leadership, the Modern Orthodox community in Dallas has grown tremendously, both in numbers (60 families in the past two years) and excitement.
If you live outside of Dallas and are considering relocating to our area, or if you live the Dallas area but haven’t been to Shaare Tefilla in a while, we’d like to extend an invitation for you to join us on Shabbat. Experience the excitement for yourself; seeing is truly believing!