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Clergy & Staff

Clergy & Staff

Rabbi Jonathan Biatch, MAHL, DD, earned a BA from California State University, Northridge, in radio-television broadcast management and then participated in a Jewish students’ institute and worked as a television production assistant in Israel. He earned a master’s degree in Jewish communal service from Brandeis University and worked for seven years at Jewish Federations in Buffalo, St. Louis, and Houston. He then entered the rabbinical program at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion, receiving his master’s degree in Hebrew letters in 1991 and rabbinic ordination in 1992. Rabbi Biatch served pulpits in Staunton, Harrisonburg, and Alexandria, Virginia, and in Glendale, California, before joining TBE in 2005.
His spouse, Rabbi Bonnie Margulis, is president of Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice. They have two children, Samantha and Joshua, and are proud of their accomplishments as actors. Rabbi Biatch plays the accordion.
Cantor Sharon Brown-Levy joined Temple Beth El in 2016. Previously, she served congregations in Basking Ridge and Livingston, New Jersey, and St. Petersburg, Florida. Cantor Brown-Levy is a member of both the American Conference of Cantors (Reform) and the Cantors Assembly (Conservative). She also has professional experience in the genres of opera, operetta, Broadway, folk, and big band music. She has created and nurtured many choral groups and ensembles, including a thriving interfaith choir in New Jersey. She holds summa cum laude degrees in Spanish and music from the University of South Florida and was valedictorian of her class at Gratz College in Philadelphia. She is married to Eytan Levy (a rabbi’s son), and they have one son, Mattan.
Executive Director Terrie Goren, CFRE (Certified Fundraising Executive), has been involved in the nonprofit community nearly her entire career. She has more than twenty years of nonprofit management experience in the Jewish community, including serving as a youth director, the director of a Hillel Society, and executive director of Jewish Social Services. She earned a BA in labor relations from Douglass College of Rutgers University, received a teaching certification in early childhood and elementary education, and has done graduate work in counseling and human services. She has served as executive director of Temple Beth El since 2016.
Terrie was previously president of a different Temple Beth El, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. She and her husband, Len, and sons, Jamie and Adam, have been members of Temple Beth El in Madison since 2009.
Director of Lifelong Learning Nicole A. Jahr, RJE (Reform Jewish Educator), joined TBE in 2015. She earned a BA from California State University, Fresno, and a master’s degree in religious education from Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion. She has worked in Jewish education for almost 25 years, in roles ranging from teacher to education director. She lives in Middleton with her husband, Herb, and their daughter Lauren. Her step-daughter, Samantha, teaches music at two Detroit-area synagogues.
Associate Executive Director Kendra Sager
Director of Community Engagement Aleeza Hoffert
Interim Programming Coordinator Gwen Jacobsohn
Financial Associate Stefanie Kushner
C.P.A. Carole Ruiz de Chavez
Youth Engagement Coordinator Kim Rosenthal
Facilities Coordinator Steven Gregorius
Administrative Assistant Sue Knudson
Administrative Assistant for Lifelong Learning Rachel Sauer
Cantor Emerita Deborah Martin
May 21, 2018 7 Sivan 5778