He was ordained at
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1950 and earned his doctorate in Hebrew Letters in 1956. Baumgard began his rabbinical career at Temple B'nai Israel in
Elmont, New York. In 1955, he moved with his family to Miami and was the founding rabbi of Temple Beth Am, located in
Pinecrest, Florida. Being inspired by
Stephen Samuel Wise and
Mordecai Kaplan, his idea was to shift Beth Am to a synagogue, while emphasizing education. He served as the head rabbi there for over 30 years. Upon retiring in 1987, he had built it from 55 families meeting at a church to 1,700 families on a 14-acre campus that included a day school and a youth basketball league, becoming the largest Reform congregation in the Southeast. Rabbi Baumgard's other notable positions of leadership include serving as President of the Synagogue Council of America, the largest Jewish organization including all the branches of Judaism; the President of the Community Relations Board of Miami-Dade County; President of the Alumni Association of the Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion; and President of the Dialogue Chapter of the National Conference of Christians and Jews. He was among the Jewish leaders to meet with
Pope John Paul II during his 1987 visit to Miami. Specializing in the study of the Hebrew prophets, he was the author of several books, including
The Miracles of Jesus and the Miracles of the Early Hebrew Prophets,
Loving What is Close,
Judaism and Prayer: Issues of Faith, and
Finding My Way to God. == Personal life ==