A native of Westbury, Long Island, NY where his parents and most of his extended family still live, Rabbi Doug Weber studied music and philosophy at SUNY Albany, earning a BA with various distinctions in 1976.  In 1982 he was awarded both a Masters in Hebrew Literature and his rabbinic ordination, from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City, having studied there and at its Jerusalem campus. In 2007 he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Divinity by the College-Institute.

Rabbi Weber is also Adjunct Professor at nearby Castleton State College, where he teaches a fall course on "Comparative Religion" and in the spring, "Western Faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam."
He is available as a guest speaker and scholar in residence.

Before coming to Rutland in 2005, Rabbi Weber served congregations in Virginia, Ohio, Maine and Colorado. Though ordained in the Reform movement, he became a member of the Rabbinical Assembly (Conservative movement) in 1992. Rabbi Weber holds a certificate of training from the Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Pastoral Counseling Institute, representing part-time supervised training over a two-year period. He further developed interpersonal counseling skills at the Lakeland Institute of Lorain, Ohio and the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland.

During a break from congregation work in the 2004–05 academic year, Rabbi Weber taught at the Solomon Schechter School of Greater Boston and at Hebrew College of Boston's Prozdor program. He also served as rabbi for the Jewish communities of Babson College and the Olin College of Engineering and their Hillel groups.

Rabbi Weber

Doug and Jessica Weber have been married since 1975 and together are the parents of three children and one grandson. Their eldest son, Zach, earned his Ph.D. in Philosophy at Melbourne University, Australia, where he is now a Research Fellow. Their middle child, Taliah, is a graduate student in architecture at Washington University in St. Louis. The Webers' youngest son, Eli, is an engineer and a member of the Peace Corps in Panama, where he lives with an indiginous tribe, helping them to build safe water and sanitation systems.

Doug and Jessica are co-authors of a widely distributed book, The Jewish Baby Handbook: A Guide for Expectant Parents. He also has had articles published in Sh'ma: A Journal of Jewish Responsibility, and in 2004 published a chapter in a book of collected essays, titled, "Paper Plates: When Only Part of Your Family Keeps Kosher."

Rabbi Weber continues to indulge his musical interests by playing tuba and euphonium when opportunities arise, being perhaps the only rabbi to have played in the annual mass gathering of low brass, "TubaChristmas" in several major cities. He served on the Board of Directors of the Boulder Concert Band for four years, and has played in Klezmer pick-up groups. He currently plays in the Castleton State College Wind Ensemble and, in summer, the Rutland City Band. Doug is a regular participant when the RJC holds one of its frequent mid-week Ski Days, making up in enthusiasm what (as others boldly point out) is a lack of tehcnical prowess with the sticks, and even more so, his attempts at snowboarding.

Philosophy was Rabbi Weber's first intellectual love, and he has remained a Rationalist in outlook. Though he enjoys learning with Jews of a more mystical bent, his intellectual interests tend to be in history and in that basic human quest, attaining a sense of understanding on'se place in the universe through thoughtful reflection. It is that love that animates Rabbi Weber in what he attempts to teach and learn with people of all ages.