Mort Petrushansky was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1937.  He was married for 46 years to his wife, Rochelle, who went to be with the Lord in November 2005.  Both of his adult children are active in ministry.  He also has seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren.  Rabbi Mort holds an E.E. from Temple University and a D.Min. from the Centre for the Study of Biblical Research, Division of Graduate Studies.

Early in his ministry, Pastor Mort served as a Deacon in a Baptist church.  He then served as an Elder in a nondenominational church for many years and Rabbi of a Messianic congregation for eight years.  He then served Shalom as Associate Pastor for eight years and was promoted to Senior Pastor when Founding Pastor Bron Barkley obeyed God's calling to "do the work of an evangelist."  Pastor Bron remains on the Shalom staff as Shalom's Evangelistic Pastor.

Pastor Mort has been called by G-d to introduce an awareness of the Jewish roots of Christianity into the Christian church.  As he points out, we read a Jewish Book and we serve a Jewish Jesus.  Like all of us at Shalom, Pastor Mort believes that the Gospel can best be understood in the context of its Jewish roots.