Welcome to the Rabbi Search Committee information page. Below you will find updates from the Committee. Stay tuned for more information as the search continues. If you have a specific concern or question, please reach out to the Committee cochairs at rabbinicsearch@templebetham.org.
Read Rabbi Dana’s announcement here.
Read Project Bina’s Rabbinic Search Survey findings here.
October 2024 Update:
The Rabbinic Search Committee has been approved by the board and is preparing for a new search process. Here’s what we’ve been up to:
We expect to receive resumes in early December.
We are open to discussing any of the non-confidential aspects of the search process with members. Contact us at rabbinicsearch@templebetham.org.
Selected Project Bina Rabbinic Search Survey results
Shelly F. Cohen (she/her) (co-chair)Hi, friends – I’m Shelly, the other co-chair of this committee. I’ve been a member of Temple Beth Am since 1994 or ’95, which as Elliot keeps reminding me is before some of you were born. I have two adult kids (29 and 25) who attended our Religious School all the way through 12th grade. I’ve played many roles at TBA, often best described as “other duties as assigned;” among other things, I’m a Past President and TBA’s Queer Fairy Godmother, and also a veteran of the search committee that brought us Rabbi Ruth. I’m looking forward to going on this journey with all of you!
Ben Glatstein (he/him) (co-chair)
Hi, I’m excited to be co-chairing this committee with Shelly. My wife (Theresa) and I have been TBA members for about 15 years (and our three kids have been members since they were born). In that time I’ve served on the Board (including as President and VP) and many, many committees, including Exec, Governance, Finance, Nominations, and Evaluation, and I co-chaired our Rabbi Search Committee last year. When I’m not at TBA, I’m a lawyer working for Microsoft. In my spare time, I enjoy gardening and reading. My birthday cake of choice is a pineapple upside-down cake because it is, objectively, the best cake.
Adam Graybill (he/him) (Youth Leader representative)
Hi, I’m Adam I have been a member of Temple Beth Am my entire life and am excited to be the youth leader representative for the committee. I have two cats. In my free time, I like to solve Rubik’s cubes and do anything related to baseball. With TBA I have done both the DC and New York trips, placing on the podium for TBA in the Maimonides Moot Court competition last year, as well as Madrich-ing with the seventh grade.
Phyllis Levy (she/her)Hi, I’m Phyllis I have been a member of TBA since 1994 (yikes!). When we joined, the Temple was being renovated and services were being held at the Northend JCC, where my son and daughter were going to pre-school at the time. One of my earliest memories was walking the Torah back to TBA from the NE JCC when the Temple was complete. The feeling of walking with the other members was very special and I am still friends with the other members I met that day. I find my relationships, commitment to, and appreciation of TBA have only deepened over time. My husband, Lou Kotler, was a board member for many years so that gives me one degree of separation to serving on the board. I am excited to be part of this search committee and to get to know and work with all of you.
Sam Ostroff (he/him)
Hi, I’m Sam, my wife, Marnina, and I have been part of the TBA community since moving to Seattle in 2016. Our older son, Max (9), attended SEED and is now enrolled in The Gan, while our younger son, Jacob (2), is currently in Room 110 at SEED. We also share our home with River, a six-year-old French Pyrenean Pointer, who, despite his good looks and noble bloodline, is a nudge and shows little interest in his Jewish education. I work as a scientific writer and researcher at a global health institute at UW. In my free time, I enjoy running, tennis, skiing, reading, and all the other activities that come with being a Seattleite. Phillip Roth is my favorite author. This is my first year serving on the Board, where I also contribute as a member of the Governance Committee. As a congregant, parent, and Board member at TBA, I am committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all, and I strive to deepen my engagement with Jewish life both within our community and throughout the Seattle area.
Liz Mizrahi (she/her)
Hi, I’m Liz my husband Joe and I joined TBA when our daughter Shoshana was in the womb, and now she’s 10 weeks from her Bat Mitzvah! We also have an 11-year-old, Miriam, and an 8-year-old, Simone – all enjoying their learning and friendships in the Gan and went to SEED as little ones. Serving the community is a core value of our family – I am an elementary school principal and Joe is a union leader. Part of giving back to our community has been our connection to Temple Beth Am, and I’ve been on the TBA board for the past 3 years. We love taking long walks with our corgi and traveling.
Bryan Rutberg (He/Him)
Hi, I’m Bryan, I have been a TBA member for as long as I have been a Seattleite, 21 years, and I’m in my early 60’s. My wife Sharon and I appreciate Beth Am for its inclusivity, music, commitment to social justice and action, and determination to build community. Our kids, Jamie (29 next month) and Teddy (26) both became B’Mitzvah at Beth Am, Sharon completed her journey to Judaism with Rabbi Jonathan Singer and later celebrated her Bat Mitzvah, and Rabbi Jason Levine officiated Jamie’s wedding to her husband Zachary in the summer of 2022.
I had the honor of working with Shelly when we were on the board together, and my presidency (2014-16) was immeasurably better for her being 1st VP at the time. In addition to two stints on the board (2 years in the aughts and then five in the teens), I’ve participated in two prior rabbinic searches, taught third grade for five years in our Religious School, taught both Hearth and Adar groups, and as many of you know this is my ninth year of working with staff and clergy to coordinate our High Holy Day honors.
Sharon and I have two young and crazy dachshunds, live on Queen Anne, and both still enjoy our work—she as an estate planning and elder law attorney, and I as a motivational/educational speaker helping leaders and their organizations bring more love into their customer relationships to increase satisfaction and profit.
Elliot Barnette (they/them)
Hi, I’m Elliot I have been a member of TBA for 2 years and I’ve found a true home in this community as a Jew by choice. I work as a technical program manager at Microsoft and have been there for 5 years. In my free time I enjoy hanging out with Roux, my 4-year-old Great Dane, and trying new cocktail spots in the city with my spouse Casey (they/them)!
Non-voting, advisory members: Rabbi Ruth Zlotnick (Senior Rabbi), Davida Sims (Executive Director), Gaby Charlton (Board President)
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