Rabbi Jessica Shimberg

Rabbi Jessica Shimberg brings intellectual depth, spiritual warmth, and inclusive Jewish wisdom to life’s most meaningful moments.

Schedule a Conversation

Rabbi Jessica Shimberg is a thoughtful, inclusive, creative, and spiritually grounded leader and facilitator. She partners with individuals and communities to craft meaningful Jewish ritual, learning, and sacred connection. Rooted in Jewish tradition and embracing evolving ways of “doing Jewish,” Rabbi Jessica is especially devoted to empowering blended and multi-heritage individuals, couples, and families to connect with the treasures of Jewish life and community.

Services

A blue butterfly with intricate wing patterns perched on white flowers against a blurred green and yellow background.

Lifecycle Rituals

Rabbi Jessica Shimberg officiates and guides families through life’s sacred milestones, including weddings, baby namings, b’nai mitzvah, funerals, and other meaningful transitions, with thoughtful preparation and beautifully crafted ritual. Rooted in Jewish tradition and warmly inclusive of interfaith and Jewish-adjacent loved ones, she partners with you to create ceremonies that honor your relationships, and bring depth, purpose, and joy to the moment.

Mark Life’s Milestones
Sunset over the ocean with rays of sunlight breaking through dark, cloudy skies and distant islands on the horizon.

Spiritual Guidance

Rabbi Jessica Shimberg offers pastoral care and spiritual guidance for individuals navigating life’s complexities, transitions, and moments of uncertainty. With warmth, deep listening, and thoughtful conversation, she serves as a steady and compassionate presence, helping you access sources of meaning, reconnect with the Sacred, and cultivate a deeper relationship with your own inner wisdom and resilience.

Connect One-on-One
Overhead view of a wooden table with open books, a person's hands holding a pencil and a coffee mug, and a notepad.

Learning & Study

Rabbi Jessica Shimberg offers engaging classes, workshops, and study opportunities for lifelong learners in Jewish and multifaith settings, exploring topics such as Jewish time, eco-Judaism, ritual practice, liturgy, and values-based storytelling. Balancing spiritual depth with intellectual rigor, she fosters thoughtful conversation, multiple perspectives, and meaningful connection to the Sacred through interactive and immersive learning.

Dive into Study
Close-up of a spider web with water droplets on the threads.

Sacred Connections

Rabbi Jessica Shimberg designs gatherings and practices that help individuals and communities cultivate spiritual connection through music, prayer, meditation, movement, and time in nature. Drawing on Jewish wisdom and sacred rhythms, from Shabbat and holidays to everyday rituals, she offers accessible, embodied experiences that nurture renewal, deepen awareness, and support meaningful spiritual life at home and in community.

Practice Together

Join Rabbi Jessica for an in-person or virtual event

Our upcoming events are all about connection, creativity, and collaboration. Don’t miss your chance to be part of the experience.

Holding the Fringes

Holding the Fringes
At the Confluence of Shabbat Pinchas & the Sesquicentennial of the Declaration of Independence
At the Confluence of Shabbat Pinchas & the Sesquicentennial of the Declaration of Independence

The 60-year-old Shimberg family flag, folded seven years ago and hung by the author for the Fourth of July this year.

Read more →
At the Confluence of Patriotism, Rosh Chodesh Tamuz, Shabbat Korach, Juneteenth & Mom’s Yahrzeit
At the Confluence of Patriotism, Rosh Chodesh Tamuz, Shabbat Korach, Juneteenth & Mom’s Yahrzeit

The setting new moon of Tamuz, the Jewish month that began this week, just after sunset and accompanied by several visible planets. A treat for a LUNA-tic! Rabbi’s photo from her home in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Read more →
At the Confluence of Angst and Flow
At the Confluence of Angst and Flow

I am a rabbi, and I am aching to work in my field. At 60, many people in my demographic are retiring. However, I listened to my calling later in life and am just on the threshold of stepping into a second decade of rabbinic service. I have no interest in retirement. I have so much to offer and am heavy with unshared spiritual nourishment. Although the occasional barista fantasy comes over me each time I am at one of the many fabulous and locally owned and operated coffee and tea shops around St. Pete, I am deeply committed to my rabbinistry. For ten months, I have relied on a narrative that, in following my husband to a new location for his important and meaningful work, I needed to take time to learn how my calling would coalesce with meaningful paid work for me. My patience is wearing thin as I search.

Read more →
At the Confluence of Shared Light and Particularism
At the Confluence of Shared Light and Particularism

My beloved and I returned to our home to find our lobby decked out in full “Christmas spirit,” including a crèche/nativity scene along with a Christmas tree, Christmas wreaths, garland, and a variety of nutcrackers holding down the fort. The next day, I was expecting my Bat Mitzvah student for a lesson and I didn’t want her to experience this exclusively Christmas greeting in the lobby of her rabbi’s building. I asked if the crèche might be removed to focus on the less religious aspects of Christmas decorating. I was told that this wasn’t possible and no changes would be made, save for the addition of a menorah from a resident who wasn’t yet back from Thanksgiving travels. A small menorah appeared the next day in one of our lobby windows. It was small, but it was a start.

Read more →
At the Confluence of Sorrow and Hope
At the Confluence of Sorrow and Hope

Since October 7th, I have struggled to find meaning in each Jewish holiday that has arrived. Even as I have fulfilled my obligations as a rabbi, each holiday, has held diminished light this year. My colleagues and I have wrestled, just as so many of you have wrestled, with finding a way to fit our typically joy-filled perennial holidays into a year of conflict and confusion.

Read more →

  • Jessica has been such a meaningful part of our family's journey. She officiated our wedding and, years later, helped us create a beautiful ceremony to welcome our daughter. Both experiences were thoughtful, personal, and filled with warmth and joy. What we appreciated most about Jessica was her ability to honor Jewish traditions while creating ceremonies that felt authentic to us. She has a wonderful gift for making people of all faith backgrounds feel welcomed, included, and comfortable. Rather than focusing solely on religion, she helped us create meaningful rituals that reflected our values and brought our families together. Jessica took the time to truly get to know us and thoughtfully incorporated our story into each ceremony. The result was an experience that felt genuine, inclusive, and deeply personal. Our families and guests often commented on how connected they felt and how beautifully Jessica balanced tradition, meaning, and celebration. Jessica has a remarkable gift for bringing people together and helping people find meaning in life's most important moments. Whether you are Jewish, interfaith, LGBTQ+, secular, or simply looking for a ceremony that truly reflects who you are, Jessica meets you with warmth, openness, and genuine care. We are incredibly grateful for the role she has played in some of our family's most cherished milestones.

    —Amanda & Jennifer Lind 

  • Your presence and attention to so many ritual moments we might have missed made our wedding ceremony so much more meaningful. Far more than being an “officiant” on our wedding day, you helped us (long before our wedding) to consider the values and desires at the core of our relationship. You honored both of our religious traditions and family customs and worked with us to incorporate these into our ceremony. Because of your guidance and attention, our wedding felt sacred and the process you took us through helps us as our relationship grows and our circumstances change. We feel like we can turn to you as a valued confidante and friend. Thank you.

    —Danielle & Jesse

  • During the Bar Mitzvah service, you did such a wonderful job explaining and providing context and comfort to our family and friends that we are still hearing how wonderful it was. You made everyone feel welcome and engaged ... everything you said and did helped transform a clearing in the woods into the most beautiful sanctuary as you led all of us on such a spiritual journey that morning. Plus, you created a special community out of a random assortment of our family and friends, which was one of the most powerful things.

    —Karen (Mom of two young men who became bar mitzvah and studied with Rabbi Jessica; both still call and text Rabbi Jessica about Jewish matters, which is very meaningful to a rabbi who is also “Mom” to two young men.)

  • My wife and I were immediately impressed with Rabbi Jessica’s warmth and intelligence and her understanding that, for us, defining our Judaism is an evolving and challenging journey. We were thrilled to have Rabbi Jessica create and lead a beautiful brit bat ceremony for our daughter when she born. The way she welcomed our entire family and circle of friends and engaged all four generations of our family made that day one I will cherish forever.

    —Segev (Dad)