Officers of the Congregation      Office and Volunteer Staff    Officers of the Constituent Groups

 Statement of Core Values adopted by the Trustees in 2009

Clergy:

 "…a sacred partnership dedicated to supporting a congregation where members feel connected and spiritually enhanced."

Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel was founded in 1847 as a traditional synagogue. In a move that made it Philadelphia's first progressive synagogue, KI became a Reform congregation in 1855 and was later considered the region's flagship for the Union for Reform Judaism. Our rabbis have been central figures in Reform Judaism and have helped shape the movement as we know it today. KI continues to serve a leadership role as a visionary congregation, dedicated to meeting the ongoing and ever-changing needs of our Jewish community.

All of KI's leadership - from rabbis and educators to officers and administrative staff - believe in a sacred partnership dedicated to supporting a congregation where members feel connected and spiritually enhanced. Our rabbis listen and are responsive. Our educators are inspiring and intellectually challenging. Our lay leaders and senior staff work together to make KI a unified, visionary place of worship.

Email:  RabbiLJS@kenesethisrael.org

Read a few of Rabbi Sussman's documents:  "Statement of Principles for Reform Judaism" 
  KI Core Values     Interdependence

Visit the CCAR website:  CCAR - Platforms    (Central Conference of American Rabbis)

 Rabbi Kevin Kleinman Our new Assistant Rabbi was born and raised in Northern Virginia.   Rabbi Kleinman attended Camp Harlam and held leadership positions in NFTY-MAR as a teenager.  He vividly recalls deciding to become a rabbi at the Reform Movement Biennial in Dallas, TX during the Friday night Shabbat worship and song session, dancing in the aisles with friends and family, surrounded by the energy and ruach of 5,000 Reform Jews.  These experiences shaped his desire to create meaningful, spirited, Jewish life.

Rabbi Kleinman graduated cum laude from Brandeis University in 2002 with a B.A. in Sociology.  He minored in Near Eastern Judaic Studies.  Following college he worked as a Jewish Environmental Educator at the Teva Learning Center in Falls Village, CT where he met his wife and life partner Chana Rothman.  He and Chana are avid outdoor enthusiasts and passionate about working toward building a more sustainable and just world, guided by Jewish values. Rabbi Kleinman is currently a GreenFaith Fellow, a program for developing religious environmental leadership.

Rabbi Kleinman previously served as Student Rabbi at Temple B’nai Israel Laconia, NH and Rabbinic Intern for Men of Reform Judaism while studying at HUC-JIR in New York.  During this time he also created and directed URJ Kutz Camp’s Teva Outdoor Experience summer program, taking teens hiking and rock climbing in upstate New York.

Rabbi Kleinman is very excited to be joining the amazing team at KI.  His rabbinic vision is based on partnership: developing personal relationships with community members of all ages, working collaboratively with clergy and lay leaders to build community and pursue social justice. In these sacred encounters he believes we teach and are taught; we counsel and are consoled; we work for change and are transformed.

Email: rabbikleinman@kenesethisrael.org

 Cantor Amy E. Levy, appointed Cantor of KI in July 2004, considers herself blessed to be doing “work” she truly believes to be a calling. Cantor Levy knew when she made her first trip to Israel during high school that she wanted to serve the Jewish people. She loves to sing and teach about what is meaningful and important to her. 

Graduating from the University of Kansas in 1996 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music for Vocal Performance, Cantor Levy went on to the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute for Religion’s School of Sacred Music. Her graduation and investiture as a Cantor took place in 2000. Cantor Levy served Temple Israel in Tulsa, Oklahoma until June 2004. She served on the Executive Board of the  American Conference of Cantors, and is active in Hadassah. She performed in Cantorial Concerts from New York to Oklahoma.

Cantor Levy enjoys working with congregants of all ages and with all kinds of music. From the bar and bat mitzvah students to choirs for every age group, to Rock n’ Roll Shabbats, and Yiddish music, she makes the worlds of Jewish music and sacred music accessible. Cantor Levy’s endless talent, spirituality, and enthusiasm leave an indelible and joyous imprint on the souls of everyone with whom she comes in contact!

Cantor Levy is married to Ross M. Levy.

Email:  CantorAEL@kenesethisrael.org 
Web Site: http://www.unlimitedprayer.com

RABBI STACY ESKOVITZ RIGLER,  MAJE, was appointed KI’s Director of Religious Education in July 2003. After receiving a Bachelor of  Arts degree in Political Science from Emory University, Rabbi Eskovitz Rigler earned her Master of Arts degree in Jewish Education from Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in Los Angeles in May 2001 and was ordained as a rabbi in New York in May 2003. 

During her tenure at KI she has overseen the accreditation of both our Library and our Religious School programs.  She has worked at Camp Harlam, the URJ Department of Jewish Education and the Religious Action Center in Washington, D.C. and  participated in the HUC-JIR/JTS Leadership Institute for Congregational School Principals. Rabbi Eskovitz Rigler has developed a well-rounded program that is warm, inclusive and meets the needs of our Religious School families.  She engages the children in an exceptional curriculum while involving the families with creative programming and enrichment opportunities.

Rabbi Stacy Eskovitz Rigler is married to Rabbi Peter Rigler and has two children who attend KI’s preschool and religious school. 

Email:  Educator@kenesethisrael.org

  email: brissinger@kenesethisrael.org

Beth Berman, M.S.Ed.,director of the Richard E. Rudolph Jr. Preschool, started at KI in July 2005.  Berman earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Delaware and her master’s degree in early childhood education from the University of Pennsylvania. She belongs to National Association of the Education of the Young Child, the Delaware Valley Association of the Education of the Young Children, NATE, and the Early Childhood Educators of Reform Judaism, an affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism. 
 
Beth has two daughters, Samantha and Jolie, who  attend KI’s Religious School.
                Visit the PreSchool page

                 Preschool Calendar (2008-09)     

Email: preschooldirector@kenesethisrael.org     215-885-2425.

Peter Soloff, President
He and his wife Denise, a lifelong member of KI, were married at KI in 1992. Thereafter, Peter joined the synagogue and became active in congregational life. He became a Bar Mitzvah and was confirmed at a nearby synagogue and graduated from Gratz College High School in the early 1980s. He received his undergraduate degree at Emory University in Atlanta, GA where he received a Dorot Scholarship to travel to Israel. Peter has made several trips to Israel and volunteered on a kibbutz in the northern part of the country. In 1989 he graduated from Duke University School of Law and returned to Philadelphia to practice law at Blank Rome LLP where he is a partner in the Real Estate Department.

The genuine warmth and quality of the KI family – lay and professional alike – continue to inspire him. Peter’s priority as President is to continue to build on KI’s success in providing all that come in contact with KI – from toddlers to our most senior members – an experience that is welcoming and uniquely rewarding, spiritually, intellectually and socially. Peter and Denise’s two daughters have been educated at KI since preschool. They are both currently in Confirmation Academy.                                              

Email: Soloff@BlankRome.com

Emeriti
Rabbi Simeon J. Maslin, Rabbi Emeritus

Rabbi Simeon J. Maslin was elected the sixth Senior Rabbi of Keneseth Israel in 1980. Holding degrees from Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and Chicago Theological Seminary, Rabbi Maslin is the author of two books and numerous articles and pamphlets. He served both the oldest congregation in the Western Hemisphere (Mikve Israel-Emanuel of Curacao) and the oldest congregation in Illinois (K.A.M. of Chicago) before coming to Keneseth Israel, the oldest Reform congregation in Greater Philadelphia. He is a Past-President of the Central Conference of American Rabbis.

Email:  ShiMaslin@aol.com

Cantor Emeritus Richard Allen

Cantor Emeritus Richard Allen has served the Congregation with distinction from 1976 to 1997. Over the past 21 years, he has enriched the Jewish dimension of our musical liturgy with his baritone voice and musical sensibilities. Cantor Allen has presented the best of our tradition from Sulzer to Steinberg. He has made recordings with Max Janowski and Ben Steinberg. Steinberg's Shomeir Yisrael was commissioned by KI and written for Cantor Allen's voice. His cantorial career spans thirty-five years. He is known internationally for his operatic and concert performances. Cantor Allen currently teaches music, studies, and remains accessible to our congregation. 

Bill Ferstenfeld, Executive Administrator, Emeritus

William Ferstenfeld was named Executive Administrator Emeritus upon his retirement from the field of Temple Administration in 2003.  Bill served K.I. for over 25 years where he was involved in the day to day operations of the Temple.  During his tenure at K.I., Bill was active in the national Reform movement as well.  He is a past president of the National Association of Temple Administrators, served as a member of the Union of American Hebrew Congregation's Board of Trustees, Executive Committee and Commission on Synagogue Management. Bill and his wife Nancy, currently reside in the Palm Springs, CA area.  He is a project manager in his family's subcontracting business

Email:  BFerst@aol.com

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