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Ritual Staff
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Ritual Staff : Rabbi Vernon Kurtz vkurtz@nssbethel.org
Rabbi Vernon Kurtz is the Rabbi of North Suburban Synagogue Beth El in Highland Park, Illinois, an 1100 family Conservative congregation. He was born in Toronto, Canada, received his B.A. from York University, his M.A. and Rabbinic Ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary and his Doctor of Ministry degree from Chicago Theological Seminary. He also received a Doctor of Divinity degree (Honoris Causa) from the Jewish Theological Seminary.
Rabbi Kurtz currently serves as President of MERCAZ OLAMI, the World Organization of the Zionist Arm of the Conservative Movement. . He is a member of the Board of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago and serves as its vice-chairman. He is also on the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency and serves as co-chairman of its FSU committee. He is a past president of the Rabbinical Assembly, the international association of 1500 Conservative Rabbis, and was a member for many years of the Rabbinical Assembly Committee on Jewish Law and Standards. Currently he serves as a member of the President’s Conference of Major American Jewish Organizations and the Leadership Council of Conservative Judaism.
Rabbi Kurtz has served in leadership positions in the areas of Jewish communal and interfaith activities. He has been President of the Chicago Board of Rabbis, Chairman of the United Jewish Appeal Rabbinic Cabinet and President of the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago. Rabbi Kurtz is the recipient of the Rabbinic Award, Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, Council of Jewish Federations (1984 and 1995); the Young Leadership Award, Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago (1985); Jerusalem Covenant Award, State of Israel Bonds (1996); and the Rabbi Simon Greenberg Rabbinic Achievement Award, The Jewish Theological Seminary (1998). Rabbi Kurtz has served as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Rabbinic Literature, Spertus Institute and Adjunct Lecturer in Jewish Studies, The Chicago Theological Seminary. He has authored teshuvot for the Law Committee and has published articles in many periodicals and books. Currently he is a monthly Torah commentator for the Chicago Jewish News and a Hartman Rabbinic Fellow. Rabbi Kurtz and his wife, Bryna, are the parents of two daughters, Hadassa (Haim) who lives in Israel and Shira who is a PhD student in New Jersey. He is the proud saba of Shmuel Binyamin.
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Ritual Staff : Rabbi Michael Schwab mschwab@nssbethel.org
Rabbi Michael Schwab is the Associate Rabbi of NSS Beth El. He was born in Philadelphia and received his BA from Rutgers University, where he majored in History and Jewish Studies. Rabbi Michael Schwab received his ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS) in May, 2004. In addition, Rabbi Schwab also received an MA in Jewish Education from the William Davidson Graduate School of Education. During his studies at JTS he completed the Clinical Pastoral Education Program at Penn Foundation for Mental Health and served as the Jewish Life Director of the Goldsmith Student Dormitory. He also spent several years studying in Israel at the Hebrew University, Machon Schechter and the Conservative Yeshiva.
While studying in Israel he was selected to participate in the Melton Center’s Senior Educators Program for outstanding Diaspora educators. Currently Rabbi Schwab is a fellow in the STAR PEER Rabbinic Leadership Program for early career rabbis who have demonstrated leadership excellence. Before coming to Beth El, Rabbi Schwab served the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale and Temple Beth Sholom of Rosalyn Heights.
Rabbi Schwab is married to his lovely wife Erica who is a behavioral therapist and teacher of children with developmental disabilities. They have a 1 ½ year old son name Ari. Rabbi Schwab is currently in his 4th year at Beth El.
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Ritual Staff : Hazzan Larry B. Goller lgoller@nssbethel.org
Hazzan Larry Goller graduated from the Cantors Institute (now the H. L. Miller Cantorial School) of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in May 1995, receiving a Diploma in Hazzanut and Master’s Degree in Sacred Music, as well as a Master’s Degree in Jewish Education from the Seminary’s Graduate School. Hazzan Goller was born in Brooklyn, NY, and attended yeshivot and day schools in Brooklyn and the Bronx. His undergraduate years were spent at the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania. Before “hearing his call” to the Cantorate, Hazzan Goller worked in the corporate world as a computer analyst, serving in his last position as Assistant Vice-President at Prudential Securities on Wall Street. He was also active in UJA-Federation of New York and served as Associate Chair of the Leadership Development Division. His previous pulpits have included Congregation Shaare Zedek in New York City and Congregation B’nai Israel in Millburn, NJ. He is the current president of the Midwest Region of the Cantors Assembly. He also serves on several committees, including the Camp Ramah and Youth Programming Committee for the national Cantors Assembly, and serves as “Hazzan-in-Residence” at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin. Hazzan Goller is in his tenth year as Hazzan of North Suburban Synagogue Beth El and is the proud father of Amalia, Davida, and Julia.
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