Religious leader of Agudath Israel since 1979, Rabbi Alan Silverstein, Ph.D. received a master of Hebrew letters in rabbinics from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and a Ph.D. in Jewish history from its Institute for the Advanced Study in Humanities and was ordained by its Rabbinical School. He also earned a master’s degree in Jewish history from Columbia University.

Rabbi Silverstein’s leadership roles have included having served vice president of the National Council of Synagogues; president of the West Essex Clergy Association; president of the MetroWest Board of Rabbis and of the Rabbinical Assembly’s New Jersey Region; president of the New Jersey Coalition of Religious Leaders; and as a member of the National Rabbinic Cabinet of the United Jewish Appeal. From 1993 to 1995 he was president of the International Rabbinical Assembly of the Conservative Movement. From 2000 - 2005 he was president of the World Council of Conservative /Masorti Synagogues.

A nationally renowned lecturer, Rabbi Silverstein has written numerous articles and booklets on intermarriage, conversion and the Arab-Israel conflict. He is the author of Alternatives to Assimilation: The Response of Reform Judaism to American Culture, 1840-1930, It All Begins With A Date: Jewish Concerns About Intermarriage and Preserving Judaism in Your Family After Intermarriage Has Occurred.

Recent Sermons/Articles
Defending separation of religion and state
Mitzvah Means A "Good Deed" But Much More As Well
Judaism’s Commitment to Tzedakah
Where Is God in the Tsunami Tragedy?
Rosh HaShanah Sermon
Yom Kippur Sermon
Intervention in Darfur Is A Moral Imperative