Rabbi Ari Oliszewski was born in Buenos Aires on July 10, 1976. From when he was just a child, he knew he wanted to be a Rabbi, to teach about Judaism, and to share and enjoy Jewish life with the community.
Rabbi Ari was Senior Rabbi of União Israelita Porto Alegrense, a Conservative/Masorti congregation in Porto Alegre, Brasil for 10 years. Before that, he served as Senior Rabbi at Sociedade Israelita da Bahia, in Salvador Bahia, Brasil.
Rabbi Ari was ordained from the Seminario Rabinico Latino Americano, the Conservative Movement’s Latin American Rabbinical School. He also graduated from Haifa University, majoring in Biblical Knowledge and Jewish Thoughts. As part of his education, he took many courses in leadership and community organization from several different Institutes.
Rabbi Ari says, that when he started his rabbinical studies, a Rabbi told him: “a Conservative Rabbi needs to have the Torah in one hand and the newspaper in the other.” In other words, you need to respect the tradition, but never forget that you are living in the 21st century. This is one of Rabbi Ari’s basic rabbinical tenets. Rabbi Ari enjoys traveling, playing tennis, playing the guitar, and most importantly, having fun with his family and friends. He is married to Pati and together they have two children, Lia and Ben.
“I really do consider myself a rich person, not only because I have a beautiful family, friends, and a job where I can do something that I love, but also my sense of spiritual wealth comes from the opportunity to share and enjoy the Jewish life with others.”
While Rabbi Ari is always available in an emergency, his normal office hours are:
Tuesdays - 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Wednesdays - 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Thursdays - 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Fridays - 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Appointments are recommended. Please call 757-428-2591 for an appointment.