Rabbi Gail Fisher
Rabbi Gail Fisher was born and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where a rich and immersive Jewish childhood shaped her lifelong love of Judaism. She attended Hebrew school for eleven years, was deeply involved in Jewish youth groups, spent many summers at Jewish camp, and studied in Israel for a summer through BBYO. Although inspired early on by her childhood rabbi, the path to ordination was not widely open to women at the time, and her rabbinic calling waited patiently until later in life.
After retiring from her professional career, Rabbi Fisher finally fulfilled a lifelong dream and was ordained by the Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute in 2018. Her rabbinate is rooted in two central passions: teaching and pastoral presence. She finds deep joy in learning and loves sharing that excitement with others—bringing Jewish texts, ideas, and traditions to life in ways that are accessible, meaningful, and infused with enthusiasm.
Pastoral care lies at the heart of Rabbi Fisher’s work. She understands these moments as sacred encounters—opportunities for genuine soul-to-soul connection. She believes that simply being fully present can help open the door to God’s presence as well, offering comfort, honesty, and compassion in times of need.
Guided by the values of compassion and truth, Rabbi Fisher’s teaching and preaching consistently return to one central aim: building a sacred, caring, and deeply bonded community where each person is truly seen. She is delighted to have been associated with Congregation Sha’are Shalom since the summer of 2021.
She is the proud parent of two children, both attorneys, and a delighted grandparent to five grandchildren. Outside the synagogue, she enjoys reading, writing, teaching, handicrafts, hiking, and cooking.
Past Rabbis
Rabbi Jasha Levenson was a Rabbi of Sha’are Shalom from 2020-2024. Jasha’s goal is to enlighten others to the wonders of nature that surround us, to embrace our traditions with respect to those who observe other traditions, and learn to raise each other up as a global community while working within our own community.
Rabbi Arnold Saltzman was the Rabbi of Sha’are Shalom from 2011-2017. In recognition of his years of service and the special relationship he built with the congregation, he was named Rabbi Emeritus of Sha’are Shalom in August 2017.
Read complete bio at www.rabbiarnoldsaltzman.com/bio