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Our Programming Staff |
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Congregation Beth Am is served by an outstanding clergy and programming staff.
Rabbi Janet Marder, a Los Angeles native, graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz and was ordained in 1979 by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. Following ordination, she pursued graduate studies in the Department of Comparative Literature at UCLA, specializing in Modern Hebrew and Yiddish. In 1983, she became the first ordained rabbi of Beth Chayim Chadashim, a Los Angeles synagogue with special outreach for lesbian and gay Jews. During her five years with that congregation, she founded NECHAMA, a Federation-funded program of AIDS education for the Jewish community. From 1988 to 1999, Rabbi Marder served the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, providing leadership and guidance to Reform synagogues in Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and Texas. In August 1999, she became Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills, CA. Rabbi Marder's articles have appeared in Reform Judaism magazine, the Reconstructionist, Sh'ma and several anthologies. She has served as President of the Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis, the first woman and the first non-congregational rabbi to be elected to that office. In April 2003, after serving as Vice President, Rabbi Marder was elected the first woman president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. She is married to a colleague, Rabbi Sheldon Marder of the Jewish Home in San Francisco. Together they share the joys and challenges of raising two daughters, Betsy and Rachel.
She plays French Horn, saxophone and drums. She's played with the Saratoga Community Band and worked with her local high school marching band. She went through undergraduate school on a music scholarship. Not only that, but the executive director of Congregation Beth Am, Debbie Coutant, is a big-time shofar sounder -- she's been a synagogue ba'alat tekiah for many years. Debbie has been to Israel twice and looks forward to the day when she can return for an extended period and attend an Ulpan school and learn Hebrew. "But, that will have to wait for now." Because for now she has a synagogue to run. As the executive director of Beth Am she indeed runs the place. She reports to Rabbi Janet Marder and consults and implements policy set by the board of directors. She's in charge of the money -- getting it, spending it and reporting on it. She works with many of the synagogue's committees and oversees all of the computer technology, finance and communications. Plain and simple, she makes it happen. She's an avid outdoorswoman and environmentalist. She and Cary, her husband of 28 years, and their adult daughter, live in Saratoga. For the six years prior to coming to Beth Am Ms. Coutant was the executive director of the synagogue she attends, Congregation Shir Hadash in Los Gatos. While there she spear-headed a program to install solar power. That got her an award from the National Association of Temple Administrators. She achieved Senior Status at the Hebrew Unioin College/National Association of Temple Administrators Institute (HUC/NATA) in 2004. She is a member of the NATA Board. Before Congregation Shir Hadash she was Chief Executive Officer of an IBM subsidiary and put in several years on the executive staff of some local software firms and also was a consultant. And, she spent ten years at Hewlett-Packard, again doing software. Lots of software? Well, she does have a master's degree in computer science, which goes with her bachelor's in psychology, both from the University of Arizona. She was born and raised on Long Island, but came west to go to the University of Arizona, where she met Cary. After graduate school they both came to H-P. Why Beth Am? "Beth Am is a great place to work and serve. The lay leadership and congregants here are committed to the community, and are wonderful to associate with. The staff is talented and a blast to work with." Since her arrival at Beth Am she has been responsible for many procedural changes, including the way that youth education registration is done, fundraising and development, accounting procedures, marketing and communications. She hits the gym regularly, and she and Cary do some scuba diving in very exotic places. She has seen a lot of sharks and knows how to handle them. Now, that may be useful.
Cantor Lauren Bandman joined the Beth Am Program Team in 2006 bringing with her the knowledge, wisdom, warmth, and professionalism that we've all grown to know and love. Cantor Bandman has served as guest cantor/ scholar-in-residence in synagogues and camps throughout New York , New Jersey , Florida and California. She has been an active participant at both the American Conference of Cantors and Union for Reform Judaism National Conventions. For several years, Cantor Bandman has participated in Winter Rikud in Malibu, California, where she led all the religious events and organized and led an integrated dance Shabbat Worship service in collaboration with world renowned Israeli dance choreographers. She has performed at the Makor/Steinhardt Center in New York City and can also be heard singing several tracks on the CD, A Collection of Soulful Jewish Melodies: Nigun Anthology -- Volume I (Transcontinental Music Publications). Inna Benjaminson, Émigré / Program Director
Rabbi Jennifer Clayman first came to Beth Am in the fall of 2001 as an Education Intern. After ordination in 2003 from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles, she served as Assistant Rabbi and Director of Lifelong Learning at Temple Emanu-El in Westfield, New Jersey. She was thrilled to return to Beth Am as a member of the Program Team in July of 2008. She serves as Rabbi/Educator, running Shabbaton and Hebrew Program and performing a variety of other educational and pulpit functions. The rabbi grew up in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., and did her undergraduate studies at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. She first thought about becoming a rabbi at her Bat Mitzvah, when her rabbi told her that her Bat Mitzvah “charge” was to become a rabbi. Now she says, “I love what I do. I get to engage with people and teach Torah—what could be better than that?” The rabbi is an avid hiker, having done extended trips in Utah, Montana, the Canadian Rockies, England, Italy and Israel. She is thrilled to live in the Bay Area, with so many beautiful areas to explore so close by! She also enjoys photography, road trips, and singing.
She and her husband, Rabbi John Fishman, live in Mountain View with their son.
A graduate of UC Santa Barbara with degrees in English and French, Mandy has had adventures living in France, Jerusalem, New York, and Los Angeles. But as a native of the Bay Area, she is thrilled to be back in her home stomping ground. Mandy has worked in non-profit organizations since 1993, when she was a new graduate looking for her passion. Her first position was raising funds for pediatric cancer and AIDS research at the Neil Bogart Memorial Labs in Los Angeles, and that sealed her destiny in the non-profit sector. Next it was off to New York, where she produced fundraising special events for Cancer Care, a social service agency in Manhattan . From 2000-2007 Mandy served as the Regional Director for ARZA (Association of Reform Zionists of America) and WUPJ (World Union for Progressive Judaism) in Los Angeles>. During this time she raised awareness and funds for the international Reform movement and had the fascinating opportunity to work with Progressive Jews from all over the world. Mandy is deeply devoted to Jewish life and the myriad ways that it can be enhanced by the Beth Am community. When she is not working, Mandy can usually be found with her kids Max (age 7) and Sadie (age 4) and with her husband Dennis, who is a rabbi at Peninsula Temple Beth El in San Mateo. Mandy’s family feels doubly blessed to be a part of two synagogue communities. Erin Goldstrom , Youth Advisor
Erin just moved to Mountain View and is looking forward to exploring the community and joining the Beth Am team. She has loved dancing and food since she was a little girl, and has more recently acquired passions for traveling and being outdoors. The youth advisor position is funded by a grant from the Moldaw Family Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Community Endowment Fund.
He then went straight to HUC, spending one year in Jerusalem and four in New York City, spending two years as the Rabbinical Intern of Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York, and one year as the Student Rabbi of Temple B'nai Israel in Laconia, NH. Additionally, Rabbi Rosenwasser worked over the summers; trekking with teens around Israel for NFTY, songleading and educating at Camp Hess Kramer in Malibu, and learning valuable pastoral skills through the Clinical Pastoral Education program. He was ordained in May, 2009, and is thrilled to be joining the Beth Am Program Team. He and his husband, Shalom, live in downtown Mountain View with their cat, Shachar. In his free time, he enjoys classical music, musical theater, chocolate, avocados, swimming, scuba diving, and cooking. Robyn Siegel is completing her Masters in Education at San Jose State University. She has lived in Israel (even served in the Israeli army!), taught in many religious schools and has been a popular teacher at Beth Am. Robyn has an undergraduate degree in Environmental Economics at UC Berkeley, and she worked as an accountant before following her true calling to be a Jewish educator. She is an avid runner, and she and her husband live in San Jose.
Shaina Wasserman completed Joint Masters Degrees in Jewish Education and Jewish Communal Service from Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles in May 2006. Shaina hails from Chicago, IL where she grew up with her parents and identical twin sister, Beth. She loves swapping stories with other twins. Since graduating from Brandeis University in 2001, Shaina has worked for the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago and several religious schools. Shaina is passionate about Israel , social justice and social action. In her spare time, Shaina enjoys hiking and playing Sudoku.
Rabbi Sarah L. Wolf Rabbi Sarah Wolf was born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The mountainous desert of the southwest is reminiscent of the hills of Jerusalem; however, the local bread of affliction is the tortilla. Sarah grew up in the warm embrace of Temple Beth Shalom in Santa Fe, where she became a Bat Mitzvah with her twin sister Rebekah, served as a teacher’s aide, and volunteered in the administrative office, where she grew to love the day-to-day atmosphere of the synagogue. She attended Amherst College in Massachusetts, majored in religion, and graduated summa cum laude in 2003.Sarah graduated from the New York campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 2008. During her tenure at HUC, Sarah served as student rabbi in Mammoth Lakes, California, Bluefield, West Virginia, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Lake Norman, North Carolina. She also worked as a teaching and research assistant to Dr. Eugene Borowitz, one of the leading theologians of the Reform movement. In addition, she completed her chaplaincy training at Bellevue Hospital in New York City and worked as a summer intern with the Union for Reform Judaism’s Commission on Social Action.This assistant rabbi position at Congregation Beth Am is Sarah’s first rabbinic post after ordination. Sarah loves movies, singing, northern New Mexican food, reading Jewish texts in Aramaic, and People Magazine. Rabbi Emeritus Sidney Akselrad (z"l) Rabbi Sidney Akselrad was Beth Am's Senior Rabbi from 1962-1986 and continued to be a leader in the spiritual life of our congregation until his death November 14, 2006. He was past president of the Western Association of Reform Rabbis, and the Palo Alto Ministerial Association. He was also a recipient of the Jewish Community Service Award and the Stanford University Hospital Distinguished Service Award. Rabbi Akselrad was devoted to promoting civil rights throughout his life.
He was founder of the Opportunity Industrialization Center West (OICW), which trained thousands of minority workers. He participated with Dr. Martin Luther King and the Freedom Riders and marched for civil rights in Selma and Montgomery, Alabama. Rabbi Akselrad's deep personal commitment served as an example and inspiration
Rabbi Emeritus Richard A. BlockRabbi Block was ordained and awarded a Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, OH, in 1982, receiving numerous awards for academic distinction, writing, and sermonic excellence. Upon ordination, he was chosen Rabbi of Greenwich Reform Synagogue, Riverside, CT. While in Greenwich, he served as the President of the Greenwich Fellowship of Clergy and was a founder of Jewish Community Services of Greenwich, a highly respected social service agency. In 1986, he received the Humanitarian Award of the Council of Churches and Synagogues of Lower Fairfield County, CT, for community leadership "worthy of esteem and commendation" that "made a significant difference in his community and in our whole region." Rabbi Block was Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beth Am, Los Altos Hills, CA, from 1987 until 1999. His achievements there included: a process of educational innovation that inspired a national partnership, the "Experiment in Congregational Education;" the creation of a nationally recognized program to integrate emigres from the former Soviet Union in Jewish life; and the Koret Synagogue Initiative, a unique collaboration between synagogues, the Koret Foundation and the Jewish Community Federation, aimed at reinvigorating synagogue life. The Mid-Peninsula Jewish Community Day School, of which he was a founder, created a scholarship fund in his name, and he received the Jewish Family and Children's Services of San Francisco's 1999 "FAMMY Award," "in appreciation of extraordinary caring and dedicated community service." Rabbi Block's community leadership includes serving as Secretary of the Rabbinical Pension Board of the Reform Movement and chair of its Strategic Planning Committee. He is the author of numerous publications. He and Susan G. Block have been married since 1969. They have two sons, Joshua, 29, a political and media consultant, and Zachary, 26, a journalist. Prior to his rabbinical studies, Rabbi Block graduated with honors from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Yale Law School, where he was an editor of the law review. He was a law clerk to a US District Court judge and served in the US Navy's Judge Advocate General's Corps, including a term as a Special Assistant US Attorney, in San Diego and as a faculty member of the Naval Justice School in Newport, RI. Rabbi Block is the immediate past president of the World Union for Progressive Judaism. Headquartered in Jerusalem, the World Union is the international body of Reform, Liberal, Progressive, and Reconstructionist Jews. Representing nearly 2 million persons in 43 countries, it is the world's largest organization of religiously affiliated Jews. Rabbi Block has served as Senior Rabbi, The Temple - Tifereth Israel, Cleveland and Beachwood, OH since May 1, 2001. Cantor Emerita Kay Greenwald In August 1997, Cantor Kay Greenwald became Congregations Beth Am's Cantor after serving for 5 years as Assistant and then Associate Cantor. She chants and leads services, and oversees our Bar and Bat Mitzvah programs.In 1993, Cantor Greenwald introduced our spring musical production performed by kids in the congregation, called "Be a Jewish Star". This is now an annual event at Beth Am. Cantor Greenwald enjoys teaching adults, as well as her work with the Music Committee.Before attending Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion School of Sacred Music, Cantor Greewald pursued her Masters from the Eastman School of Music and sang opera throughout the world. She was the first woman to serve as clergy at Beth Am. Cantor Greenwald is President of the American Conference of Cantors, the professional cantorial organization of the Reform Movement. Cantor Emeritus David Unterman Cantor David Unterman was Beth Am's Cantor from 1981 to 1997. He continues to be a popular teacher of Jewish Spirituality and often participates in musical events at Beth Am.Cantor Unterman is a veteran of musical theater and opera. He sang with the San Francisco and New York Metropolitan Operas, the Lamplighters and the American Savoyards. He is a graduate of the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion School and Sacred Music. During his many years as Cantor, he trained hundreds of our young congregants for their Bar and Bat Mitzvah as well as many adults who participated in our Adult B'nai Mitzvah program. David also led the volunteer adult choir and worked with the Music Committee. |
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Erin grew up in Visalia, Ca as an active member at Congregation B’nai David. She just graduated from UC Santa Cruz in June 2009 where she was involved with Hillel and the Jewish Studies program. She has taught religious school at Temple Beth El in Santa Cruz and at Congregation B’nai David, in addition to being a camp counselor at Kamp Kayetz in Santa Cruz and Camp Newman/SWIG in Santa Rosa. 
Rabbi Adam Rosenwasser was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Growing
Robyn Siegel
Shaina Wasserman