The son of a Conservative Rabbi, Joseph Ron Fishhas served as Rabbi of CBE since 2001. During his tenure, CBE has grown about 50% both by maintaining its ties to traditional constituencies and by attracting new members. The words energized, warm and spiritually enriched are frequently cited. As a child, Rabbi Fish moved around quite a bit, but the one constant was Camp Ramah in New England, where he was a camper, counselor, and even a teacher. It also made him a passionate Red Sox fan. Rabbi Fishspent more time in New England, graduating from Brandeis University in 1991, where he was very involved in Hillel, including serving as Gabbai of the egalitarian Minyan. In 1996 he was ordained from the Jewish Theological Seminary. From1996-2001, Rabbi Fish served as the Rabbi of Congregation Tikvoh Chadoshoh in Bloomfield, CT.

His varied background as a student included a mission to the former Soviet Union where he and other theater students supported Jewish communities in various regions. He also was involved in two a cappella groups, which also resulted in trips to Jewish communities in Central and Eastern Europe. Rabbi Fish's third year at JTS was spent in Israel at what is now known as the Schecter Institute for Judaic Studies. At JTS, he received awards in Jewish Theology for his work with Dr. Neil Gillman and in Israel society for work at Neve Hana (a home for children from dysfunctional families.)