This article was published in the Capital Region’s Jewish World and Orlando’s Heritage Florida Jewish News in January 2026 but is just making my blog. Enjoy my story!

Services at Congregation Shalom Aleichem in Kissimmee, Florida, were almost done. Marilyn Glaser, the president, had completed the announcements, and our “rabbi” was about to lead us in Adom Olam. I rose to make an announcement. 

“I think we need to do a Shehecheyanu blessing in honor of Asher driving himself to services tonight. He’s finally old enough to make the trip on his own!” 

“Great idea,” said Marilyn. We recited the prayer in honor of living to this moment, and then even sang “Simon Tov, Mazel Tov” for good measure.

Wait! Old enough to drive himself? But Asher Tomberg, who leads our Friday night services, is a 16-year-old junior from Windermere High School. And Congregation Shalom Aleichem loves him!

Asher’s story began in March 2025. Our little shul had lost its rabbi, and the board was scrambling to find someone to lead our twice-a-month Friday night services. Louis Goldman, the Spiritual Leader at Congregation Shir Chadash, was brought in to lead services for a few months. Along with his wife Rebecca, Louis was often accompanied by Asher Tomberg, who had studied with Louis for his bar mitzvah.”

After leading services at Shalom Aleichem for several weeks, Louis decided he wanted to be home with his family for Shabbos dinner. When sharing the news with Marilyn, Louis suggested that Asher take his place. The synagogue board agreed with the understanding that the money he earned would be going into a college fund. His first service was in August of 2024. He was 15 years old.

Before his bar mitzvah, Asher certainly never thought he would be leading a congregation. Although they attended High Holy Day services, the Tomberg family were not regular participants in Friday night services. Indifferent towards his Jewish studies and Judaism as a whole, he saw little meaning in the liturgy and found little relationship between the prayers and his life.

This was confirmed by Goldman. “When I first started working with Asher, the learning was slow-going.”Then, one day, something clicked.  “There was a change, and everything that had seemed difficult was now so natural for him,” said Goldman. “The Hebrew came easy. The chanting was smooth. It was a complete transformation.” 

“I really got into it,” Asher said, adding that Louis’ teaching made the prayers become meaningful. “By the time I stood on the bima for my bar mitzvah [on November 22, 2022], I was not only prepared but also imbued with a greater pride and interest in my religion.” 

In the weeks and months following Asher’s Bar Mitzvah, he continued to regularly attend Shabbat services, leading davening with a growing strength and confidence.

“Many students never come back after their B’nai Mitzvah,” said Goldman. “He is now leading services at Shalom Aleichem. It’s really inspirational.”

In preparation for the Friday night service, Asher practices the Torah portion for an hour each evening from Tuesday through Thursday. He first uses a version that contains the reading in Hebrew with the vowels and the notes (Trope). He then moves on to a version of the text as displayed the way it appears in the Torah with no vowels and no trope.

Over the past year and a half, Asher has gained confidence and skill in both his Torah reading and his leading the service. His strong voice guides the congregation through the prayers and the transitions. During the oneg, he greets those in attendance by name and warmly exchanges pleasantries and life updates. At 16, he is already not only a talented lay leader but also a true “mench.” 

Glaser is very impressed with his maturity and how beautifully he has grown in the role he has been doing. “Asher reads the Torah portion smoothly and effortlessly, more impressive in that today we find very few lay people who have those skills,” said Glaser. “I don’t know where we would be without him.”

Dr Richard Plass, who leads the weekly Torah study, shared Glaser’s enthusiasm. “His Hebrew, which is beautifully fluid, comes from his heart,” he commented.  “It’s wonderful to see a young man come into his own with a congregation that loves him.” A sign of that love: at a recent service, Dr. Plass gifted Asher a tallit clip to tame the young man’s large prayer shawl.

Congregant Jonathan Shopiro, who provides musical accompaniment with his flute, said that working with Asher has been “a delight,” improving with every service. 

Asher said that the experiences he has encountered from his bar mitzvah to lay leader has prepared him for life. “The values I have learned have made me a kinder person, one who believes in Tikkun Olam, making the world a better place.”

Is rabbinical school in his future? Not yet. Asher hopes to become a pilot for JetBlue, a goal that he plans on reaching by attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona, Florida, after his high school graduation in May 2027. He also plans to continue his Judaic studies and use them to lead congregations. 

Wherever life leads Asher, the members of Congregation Shalom Aleichem, as do his parents, take pride in the man he has become.

Photo of Curtis Green and Asher Tomberg at Shabbat services at Congregation Shalom Aleichem, October 2026 provided by author.

Despite his talents as a lay rabbi, Asher’s dream is to become a pilot for JetBlue! Here he is practicing for his future (Photo courtesy of Asher Tomberg).

Photo of Curtis Green and Asher Tomberg at Shabbat services at Congregation Shalom Aleichem, October 2026 provided by author.