Leadership & Staff

Andy Bachman — Senior Rabbi

Rabbi Andy Bachman lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Rachel Altstein, and their three daughters, Audrey, Lois and Minna. Andy and Rachel have lived in Brooklyn since 1990.

Born in 1963, Rabbi Bachman was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Educated in public schools in the northern suburbs of Milwaukee, he studied history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While in college he developed a deep interest in pursuing Jewish scholarship and service due to the influence of two teachers: the European cultural historian George L. Mosse, and Irv Saposnik, who directed the UW Hillel.

During those university years, Rabbi Bachman spent a year at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In addition to coursework, he was privately tutored in rabbinic literature by Rabbi Hank Skirball, director of NFTY in Israel. It was Rabbi Skirball who first formally suggested Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where Rabbi Bachman was ordained in 1996.

As a rabbinical student, Rabbi Bachman served as Educator at Congregation Beth Elohim, overseeing the religious school and adult education, and working as a student rabbi. After his ordination in 1996, he served as Rabbi Educator until 1998, when he became Executive Director of the Edgar M. Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life: Hillel at New York University.

In 2003, Rabbi Bachman and Rachel Altstein, along with several friends, founded Brooklyn Jews, an innovative outreach program for the many unaffiliated Jews who have made Brooklyn their home in the past decade. Based on the principles of openness and creativity, Brooklyn Jews quickly gained a national reputation for being a fun new way to engage young Jews “where they’re at.” Brooklyn Jews is now CBE’s premier outreach program for young Jews.

Rabbi Bachman was on the Newsweek and Forward 50 list. He blogs daily at www.andybachman.com.

Shira Koch Epstein — Associate Rabbi

Rabbi Shira Koch Epstein lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn, with her husband, Dr. Jason Epstein, their sons Amichai and Kobi, and their dog, Duffy.

Born in the Bronx and raised in New Milford, Connecticut, Shira received her BA from Wesleyan University and has also attended Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Birzeit University in Ramallah, and Machon Hartman in Jerusalem. She received her rabbinic ordination, MAHL and MA in Religious Education from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Shira has served as the Associate Director of ARZA, coordinating the Reform Zionist Think Tank and Development Initiatives, as the Family Educator of the Reform Temple of Forest Hills, and as Family Educator and Day School Teacher at Congregation Rodeph Sholom/Rodeph Sholom Day School in New York City. Having spent her youth active in NFTY and URJ camps, she has worked at the Eisner Camp, Camp Tel Yehuda, BIMA, and Seeds of Peace Camp for Co-existence and Conflict Resolution. A practiced storyteller, Rabbi Epstein has studied improvisational comedy and acting at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade, Chicago City Limits, and the School for Film and Television.

Daniel M. Bronstein — Rabbi & Congregational Scholar

Daniel M. Bronstein lives in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, with his wife, Sari Fensterheim, and son, Samuel, and has been a denizen of Brownstone Brooklyn since 1992. Before joining the CBE community as congregational scholar, Dan was raised in Chicago and earned his BA at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After serving as a legislative assistant at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in Washington, DC, Rabbi Bronstein pursued his studies at Midreshet Yerushalim in Jerusalem, earned his MA in Jewish history at Brandeis University, and was ordained at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1996. Earning his PhD in Jewish History at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, he wrote his doctoral thesis about rabbis who served as U.S. military chaplains in World War II. Dan has taught in a variety of synagogue and academic settings and has published articles for the Forward, JEWCY and the Central Conference of American Rabbis Journal. He is also a contributor to the three-volume Jews and American Popular Culture, Jewish Theology in Our Time, and the forthcoming Cambridge Dictionary of Jewish Religion, History and Culture. Among his duties at CBE are directing the adult Jewish learning program, serving on the faculty for the High School Academy program and working as the resident historian preparing for the commemoration of the 150^th anniversary of Congregation Beth Elohim.

Joshua Breitzer — Cantor

Josh is an alum of the famed Interlochen Arts Camp, holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan’s well-known vocal performance program and also earned a master’s degree from the New England Conservatory of Music. He recently finished his cantorial studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Manhattan and was ordained on May 8, 2011. He began his tenure at CBE on August 1, 2011.

Josh was the first ever cantorial intern at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan and also worked part-time at Temple Beth Shalom in Arnold, Maryland while he was at H.U.C. He has performed opera and other music as a soloist at Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space, the 92nd Street Y and on Israel’s “Kol HaMusica” classical radio outlet.

Josh’s wife, Donna, is a private voice teacher and executive director of the Five Boroughs Music Festival. Both Josh and Donna have Brooklyn roots: Josh’s great grandfather, Constantine Breitzer, practiced medicine at 186 Tompkins Avenue and raised a family there. Donna’s late grandfather, Isaac Kowalski, one of the first organizers of the Jewish underground movement in Vilna, settled his family in Canarsie in the early 1950s and authored both A Secret Press in Nazi Europe and the four-volume Anthology on Armed Jewish Resistance, 1939-1945.

Gerald I. Weider — Rabbi Emeritus

Gerald I. Weider served 28 years as the Rabbi of Congregation Beth Elohim. He joined Rabbi Eugene J. Sack in 1978, just as the Brownstone Revival movement hit the Park Slope section of Brooklyn. Rabbi Weider sparked the revitalization of Congregation Beth Elohim through innovative programming and services which met the needs of urban Jewish families. Under his leadership, Congregation Beth Elohim grew to become the largest and most active Reform synagogue in Brooklyn.

Rabbi Weider is a native of the Bronx. While growing up in the Bronx he attended Yeshiva Zichron Moshe.

During his teen age years, while living in Fort Lee New Jersey, Rabbi Weider became an active participant in Young Judaea, the Zionist Youth Movement sponsored by Hadassah. It was this involvement that ultimately lead Rabbi Weider to the Rabbinate. While in Young Judaea, Rabbi Weider lead local clubs, regional programs and attended numerous national camps and institutes. In college, at Rutgers University, Rabbi Weider continued to work for Young Judaea, becoming the President of their college age program and eventually representing Young Judaea at the World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem.

While at Rutgers, Rabbi Weider met Rosalie Daumann one morning in Jewish History class. (She sat in front of him!) After graduating from Rutgers University with a B.A. in History, Rabbi Weider attended the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati to study for the Rabbinate. During his first year at HUC, he married Rosalie, and settled down in the Queen City. The Weider’s first son, Avi, was born in Cincinnati.

Rabbi Gerald I. Weider was ordained in 1973 from the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati Ohio. He served two congregations before coming to Congregation Beth Elohim. His first congregation was Temple Ohabei Shalom in Brookline Mass. where he served as the Assistant Rabbi. His second pulpit was Washington Hebrew Congregation in Washington D.C. where he served as the Associate Rabbi. While in Washington, the Weider’s second son, Alex was born.

During his first sabbatical, Rabbi Weider was granted a prestigious Merril Fellowship at Harvard Divinity School. He was in residence at Harvard Divinity for the spring semester of 1998, along with the other four Merril Fellows from all over the United States. After completing his Merril Fellowship, Rabbi Weider was granted a Doctor of Divinity degree from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in the spring of 1998. Rabbi Weider’s second sabbatical in 2006 was spent studying rabbinic literature and the Hebrew language in Jerusalem at the Hebrew Union College. In addition, he studied Islam at the Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.

Rabbi Weider’s hobbies include skiing, bicycling, and travel. Rabbi and Rosalie Weider are also part time residents of Park City Utah. They have been going there since 1984 and have been involved with the creation of a synagogue in Park City, Temple Har Shalom, a synagogue that now has grown big enough to have a full time rabbi and a vibrant Jewish life.

Upon retirement from Congregation Beth Elohim, Rabbi Weider assumed the position of Senior Rabbinic Consultant to the Rabbinic Cabinet of the United Jewish Communities (UJC). In this role Rabbi Weider will work on the national level with over nine hundred rabbis (Reform, Conservative and Orthodox) in planning conferences, missions to Israel, and educational programs that explain the work of UJC and UJA to rabbinical students.

Rabbi Weider and Rosalie plan to remain in Park Slope and they look forward to witnessing the continued growth and development of Congregation Beth Elohim.

Jaqueline Israel — Director of Early Childhood Center

Jacqueline Israel has enjoyed a long relationship with the Early Childhood Center where she began her teaching career in 1986. Since then she has coordinated pre-k programs for several non-profit agencies and initiated the Project Reach Youth’s Universal Pre-K Program. She has also worked extensively with elementary age students with learning disabilities as a teacher at the Mary McDowell Center and as an Orton Gillingham tutor. Jaci has a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and a Master’s degree in Special Education. Her proudest achievements by far are her son Luke and daughter Bridget.

Pam Karlin — Assistant Director of Early Childhood Center

Pamela Karlin holds an MFA from Brandeis University and an MA in Early Childhood Education from Brooklyn College. She first joined the Congregation Beth Elohim community as a parent in the ECC when her children attended the school. She began teaching in the ECC in 2001. She also spent many years teaching Drama classes in the CBE AFter School Program. In 2009 she became Assistant Director of the ECC.

Pam lives in Park Slope with her husband Josh and her two sons, Jacob and Joey.

Bobbie Finkelstein — Director of Youth Programs

Bobbie Finkelstein has been involved in the field of school age care for the past twenty years. She came to Congregation Beth Elohim in 1987 as the director of the after school center. At that time, the program was two afternoons a week. The program has grown and so has Bobbie’s position. Currently, as the Director of Youth Programs, she supervises a five day a week after school program; two day camps (a division for elementary school age children and a travel camp for middle school age children) and three school vacation camps. Prior to coming to Congregation Beth Elohim, Bobbie worked for Children’s Aid Society and Interfaith Neighbors, a youth service agency. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work from the State University at Buffalo and a Master of Social Work from Hunter College School of Social Work. She is on the Board of the New York State School Age Care Coalition. She loves developing new programs and believes in the power of groups.

Bobbie lives in Sunset Park with her family, husband Fred and daughters, Sylvie and Molly.

Debbie Nelson — Director of Development

As Director of Development, Debbie Farrell Nelson works with the Board of Trustees and lay committees to coordinate all fundraising activities and help CBE move forward with capital and program growth. Debbie has 15-years of nonprofit fundraising and management experience that underscores a strong commitment to the concept of tikkun olam. She has held leadership roles at Free Arts NYC, a program helping underserved children, the Institute of Laryngology and Voice Restoration, an international medical foundation seeking to cure voice disorders, and HopeFound and St. Francis House, two Massachusetts homeless service agencies. She also served as Associate Director of the MaryHouse Shelter for Women and Children in Sacramento, California and Project Coordinator of Sacramento Cottage Housing. Debbie is a founding Director of a Connecticut-based family foundation that encourages youth to understand the dangers of using substances while driving. She lives in Park Slope with her husband Josh and their two boys.

Chuck Nathan, President
Chuck Nathan, his wife Alisa F. Levin and their two children, Sam and Lillien, have been residents of Park Slope since 1984, and members of Beth Elohim since 1987. Alisa was a member of the Board of Trustees in the early 90s and Chuck has been a Trustee since 2009. Chuck was a co-chair of the Nominating Committee in 2010, and is a current member of the House Committee. Chuck is Of Counsel to Latham & Watkins, resident in the New York office, and was formerly a partner and global co-chair of the Latham Mergers & Acquisitions practice group. Chuck and Alisa are also very active in the UJA, where Alisa is currently Chairman of Planned Giving, and at BAM, where they co-chair the Artists’ Circle. Chuck and Alisa also founded, and Chuck currently co-chairs, the UJA sponsored Brownstone Brooklyn Study Group, which includes a large number of members of CBE.

Bruce Bender, Vice President
Bruce Bender manages the Government and Public Affairs department for Forest City Ratner Companies [FCRC]. In this capacity, he is in charge of all community outreach as well as overseeing all interaction with local, state and federal officials on all FCRC projects. Prior to joining FCRC, Bruce served over 25 years in The New York City Council in numerous positions, including as Chief of Staff for Council Speaker Peter Vallone. He received a Bachelor of Science from Baruch College, a Masters in Public Administration from New York University and a Masters in Public Policy from the New School for Social Research. Bruce has worked closely with the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty and its 25 local Jewish Community Councils to help poor, elderly and families in crisis.

Bruce and his wife Amy and their family have been members of Beth Elohim since August 2001. Bruce is in his second term as a Trustee and is a current Vice President. In 2008, the Bender family generously donated a torah to Beth Elohim.

Barbara Grossman, Vice President
Barbara Grossman is native of Philadelphia, a graduate of Bard College (BA) and the Writer’s Workshop at the University of Iowa (MFA). After a twenty-five year career in book publishing, she has spent the last ten years working as a volunteer for several not-for-profit organizations. She is a Trustee of Bard College, the Feminist Press of CUNY, Congregation Beth Elohim and has recently completed a term as President of the Board at the Berkeley Carroll School.

Barbara and her husband Michael Gross have been members of CBE for over thirty years; Max, Willa and Gilda Gross all attended Hebrew school and celebrated their B’nei Mitzvot with the congregation.

Susan Klitzman, Vice President
Susan Klitzman has been a member of CBE since 2000. Susan joined the Religious School Committee in 2002, and served as Co-Chair from 2005-2008. In 2006-7, she co-chaired the Search Committee for the Director of Youth and Family Education, which led to hiring Rabbi Shira Koch Epstein. That same year, she helped to lead the Religious School Committee’s efforts to learn about innovative models and trends in supplemental Reform Jewish Education. Their efforts, in concert with teachers and clergy, culminated in the development of Yachad — one of CBE’s most successful programs. She has also been a member of the Board of Trustees since 2008, and is a current Vice President. Beginning in 2009, she helped to lead a review of CBE’s governance structure. This process has led to revised by-laws, which were approved by the Congregation in February 2011.

Professionally, Susan is Acting Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Public Health at Hunter College. She is helping to develop New York City’s first public and collaborative school of public health, with a focus on urban health, health equity and population aging. She brings over 20 years of professional expertise in teaching, educational administration and program management to her work at CBE. She is honored to have the opportunity to work with CBE’s many talented congregants, clergy and staff.

Ron Lieber, Vice President
Ron Lieber is a 17-year resident of Brooklyn and a 4-year member of Beth Elohim. Ron, his wife Jodi and their 5 year-old Talia first got involved with the temple through Shir L’Shabbat, and he recently finished his second year on the temple’s board, during which he chaired the search for our new cantor. In his other life, Ron writes the “Your Money” column for The New York Times and edits the paper’s “Bucks” blog on nytimes.com.

Rosalee Lovett, Vice President
Rosalee and her husband, Bruce, have been members of CBE since 1987. Their children, Sam and Sarah, were Bar / Bat Mitzvot and then confirmed at CBE. Their grandson Russell now attends the ECC.

Rosalee has a long history of service to CBE. She has served on the Board of Trustees and on the Executive Committee. She has served as co-chair of the Religious School, Day School, and Membership Committees. She has served on numerous committees for annual Spring fundraisers including co-chairing the 140th anniversary event. She has served on a number of CBE search committees.

Rosalee spent over 30 years on the business side of the publishing and information industry. She currently is retired from The Nielsen Company, where she was Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration.

Rob Raich, Vice President
Rob Raich co-founded Spears Abacus in 2007. He serves as President, and functions as a portfolio manager, analyst and client advisor. In addition to portfolio management, he has extensive experience in tax strategy, corporate finance, trust and estate administration, and financial planning. Beginning his career at Price Waterhouse LLP, where he served on audit teams for a number of Fortune 500 corporations, Rob continued his practice in accounting as a Principal at Raich, Ende, Malter LLP from 1998-2000. Rob joined Abacus and Associates in 2001, and was named President and Chief Investment Officer in 2002.

Rob received a BS in Accountancy from Arizona State University in 1992, his CPA in 1994, and an MBA from Columbia Business School in 1998.

Living in Brooklyn with his wife Cara and their two children, Rob serves a number of charitable and community causes, and is a current Board Member of Toronto based Dignitas International, and Brooklyn based One Story, in addition to being a Beth Elohim Trustee.

Michael Ravitch, Secretary
Michael Ravitch was born and raised in New York City and graduated from Yale in 1989. He spent the next decade working in the AIDS world, volunteering and doing activism around research and treatment, including with the groundbreaking organization Project Inform. He is now a freelance writer whose work has been published in such places as The New Republic and the Yale Review. He co-edited an anthology of English literature called “The English Reader” that was published by the Yale University Press in 2006. He and his partner Daniel have a son, Elijah Lev, who attends the ECC. They moved to Park Slope at the beginning of 2008, and joined the temple at that time. Michael is currently a Beth Elohim Trustee.

Emily Sachs, Treasurer
Emily Sachs is Chief Financial & Administrative Officer at Safe Horizon, a 750-person NYC-based social services agency that provides services to victims of crime and domestic abuse. She joined Safe Horizon in 2008, and is responsible the Finance, IT, Human Resources, and Facilities departments. Before joining Safe Horizon, Ms. Sachs filled a similar role for the Spence-Chapin adoption agency. Ms. Sachs has previously worked in leadership positions in various businesses and nonprofit organizations, including running her own consulting firm for eight years. She has been involved in evaluating and implementing many information technology projects and well as several significant real estate and construction projects.

At Beth Elohim, she and husband Mike Wetstone regularly attend Shabbat/Yachad services with their two children who are alumni of the ECC and the CBE day camps and are now enrolled in Yachad. The Sachs/Wetstone family joined Rabbi Bachman and other CBE families and friends for the 2008 trip to Israel. She is currently completing her first one-year term as the Congregation’s treasurer and is pleased to have participated in recruiting Monika Hamburger as our interim Executive Director.

Benjamin Feldman
Jules Hirsh
Donna Rosenthal Kolar
I. Stanley Kriegel