Rabbi Eric Solomon

Rabbi Eric Solomon was pegged to be a rabbi from a young age by everyone but himself. It took him until the end of college when he began to spiritually seek in earnest that he realized that rabbinical school might be a way for him to both search his soul and save the world. Even in rabbinical school, he was still unsure he made the right choice until he attended services at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in New York City and became acquainted with his eventual mentors, Rabbis Roly Matalon and Marcelo Bronstein. It was then that he came to realize the enormous blessing and privilege it is to serve God and humanity through the congregational rabbinate.

Rabbi Solomon graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Maryland and then entered rabbinical school, spending three years in Jerusalem and three years in New York City. In Israel, he studied Rabbinic Literature at the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies and the Shalom Hartman Institute, and completed the Senior Educators program at the Hebrew University.

After Rabbi Solomon’s ordination from Hebrew Union College in 2000, Rabbis Matalon and Bronstein selected him as the 4th Marshall T. Meyer Rabbinical Fellow at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun (BJ). There, he successfully founded BJ’s first-ever outpost, Congregation Tehillah, in Riverdale. In 2005, Rabbi Solomon gained entry into the Rabbinical Assembly and arrived in Raleigh to serve Beth Meyer Synagogue that same year.

Since Rabbi Solomon’s arrival, Beth Meyer has experienced a renaissance including a 50% growth in membership, the completion of a nearly 5 million dollar capital campaign resulting in the establishment of the first pluralistic mikveh in all of Eastern North Carolina, and an explosion of synagogue programs and outreach initiatives.

Rabbi Solomon currently serves as the national Vice Chair of Truah: A Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, and on the board of Urban Ministries of Wake County. He has traveled to Ghana on a service mission with the American Jewish World Service, developed his spiritual practice with teachers from the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, and was recently selected to participate in the Rabbinic Leadership Initiative of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. Most recently, he worked in tandem with lay leaders to found Carolina Jews for Justice which aims to bring a Jewish moral voice to bear on political issues facing North Carolinians.

He has been recognized by the Raleigh News&Observer, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism as well as national rabbinic organizations for his commitment to inter-religious dialogue and social justice. His thought pieces on issues ranging from the fair treatment of farm workers to the importance of maintaining empathy during war have appeared in various journals and newspapers.


Rabbi Solomon loves playing soccer and tennis and completed his first-ever marathon just before his 40th birthday. He is married to Rabbi Jennifer Solomon, founding Director of the Beth Meyer Community Mikveh, and has three children, Meirav, Adiel and Natan.