Rabbi Frank Muller is Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Roef Shalom in Youngstown, OH, where he served as spiritual leader for 25 years. Before that he led congregations in Roanoke, VA and St. Louis, MO. He currently serves as Rabbinic Scholar at Temple Shalom in Naples, FL, where he and his wife Darlene reside.
Cantor Kathryn Wolfe Sebo is delighted to be celebrating Shabbat at Chautauqua alongside Rabbi Frank Muller. She has served the Cleveland community since 1999 and just began her 25th year as the cantor at The Temple-Tifereth Israel in Beachwood, Ohio (now known as Congregation Mishkan Or).
Rabbi Elyse Goldstein is founding Rabbi of City Shul in Toronto, and before that was the Rabbinic Director of Kolel: the Adult Centre for Liberal Jewish Learning where she served as its principal teacher for twenty years. She is the author/editor of four books on women and Judaism. She’s been the guest Rabbi at Chautauqua’s Hebrew Congregation for many summers and a past Everett Centre speaker and a speaker at the 2 pm Hall of Philosophy lectures. Elyse will be the teaching weeks two and three for the Special Studies classes.
Susan Schwartz is a lifelong Jewish educator and spiritual leader who has spent the past 30+ years serving the Buffalo Jewish community, working with young families, children, teens, college students and adults of all ages. She recently retired from the Buffalo Jewish Federation and is excited to see what’s next.
Rabbi S. Robert Morais received ordination from Hebrew Union College’s Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati Ohio. Rabbi Morais currently serves as the Rabbi for Temple Anshe Hesed of Erie PA. He has served congregations and Jewish institutions in Rochester NY, West Bloomfield, MI and Ottawa, Canada. Rabbi Morais is married to Korlyn Morais, and combined, they have seven young adult children.
Jessie Thorpe Rhoades has been the cantorial soloist at Temple Anshe Hesed since 2018. When not singing at the synagogue, Jessie is a full-time mental health therapist.
Cantors Jodi Sufrin and Roy Einhorn were ordained in 1983, the first cantorial couple to graduate together from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. Following their ordination, they moved to the Boston area where Cantor Einhorn accepted the position at Temple Israel of Boston. Cantor Sufrin became the cantor of Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley, a suburb of Boston. They received honorary doctorates in 2008 and retired in 2020. They were blessed to spend their entire careers serving these two vibrant congregations.
Rabbi Adam Scheldt serves as the Director of Spiritual Care at Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo. In this role, he leads the spiritual care team, providing emotional and spiritual support to patients and families navigating life-limiting illnesses. In addition to his work with hospice, he maintains a private practice focused on holistic wellness and counseling.
Susan Schwartz is a lifelong Jewish educator and spiritual leader who has spent the past 30+ years serving the Buffalo Jewish community, working with young families, children, teens, college students and adults of all ages. She recently retired from the Buffalo Jewish Federation and is excited to see what’s next.
Rabbi Cookie Lea Olshein is the Resident Rabbinic Scholar at Congregation Ner Tamid in Henderson, Nevada. A member of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism’s National Campaign Leadership Team, which allows her to pursue her passion for Jewish social justice work, Rabbi Olshein is also a board member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, representing more than 2,200 reform rabbis. Rabbi Olshein will be teaching weeks 7 and 8 for the Special Studies Program.
Susan Schwarz is a lifelong Jewish educator and spiritual leader and has spent the past 30+ years serving the Buffalo Jewish community, working with young families, children, teens, college students and adults of all ages. She recently retired from the Buffalo Jewish Federation and is excited to see what’s next.
Rabbi Elle Muhlbaum serves as a member of the inaugural clergy team of Congregation Mishkan Or in Beachwood, Ohio, having served at Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple since 2020. Ordained in 2016 by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Rabbi Muhlbaum is a proud alumna of Ohio State University. Rabbi Muhlbaum loves intersectional Torah study, creative and innovative ritual, pursuing social justice, and engaging in the miracles of Jewish community.
Cantor Vladimir Lapin is the inaugural holder of the Cantor Sarah J. Sager Chair in Cantorial Music at Congregation Mishkan Or in Beachwood, Ohio (a new community founded in July 2024 as part of a unification between Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple and The Temple-Tifereth Israel). As part of the clergy team, Cantor Lapin leads weekly, holiday and lifecycle services, engages in adult Torah study, oversees the b’nei mitzvah program, offers continuing education lessons to children and adults, and offers pastoral support and care to the community. Beyond the sanctuary, Cantor Lapin is actively involved in community outreach, contributing to various educational, musical and cultural initiatives in Cleveland and beyond.
Rabbi Aaron Meyer is the Senior Rabbi at Temple Emanuel of South Hills in the suburbs of Pittsburgh PA. Ordained at HUC-JIR in 2011, Aaron is passionate about building inclusive, engaged community. He was at Chautauqua as part of the Abrahamic Program for Young Adults in the summer of 2009.
Cantor Kalix Jacobson (they/them) was ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in May of 2023, and joined the team at Temple Emanuel of South Hills in Pittsburgh, PA that July. They are a songwriter of 20 years and historian of LGBTQ+ and Jewish history in the 19th and 20th centuries. They are passionate about spreading Jewish values and wisdom to anyone, Jewish or otherwise and are honored to be part of the Chautauqua experience again this year!
Rabbi Alex Lazarus-Klein came to Buffalo in the Fall of 2008 to serve as the rabbi of Temple Sinai, now called Congregation Shir Shalom. He brings warmth, creativity, and compassion to the role of synagogue rabbi. A trained chaplain and gifted teacher, he is actively engaged in all aspects of communal life, from helping people with their everyday struggles, to intricate details of synagogue governance. Rabbi Alex is the author of three books of poetry. He is a frequent contributor to the Buffalo News, and has published articles in ejewishphilanthropy.org, The Jewish Forward, and the Times of Israel.
Cantor Julie Newman is the founder of Tiferet Project. Receiving cantorial ordination and a Master’s in Jewish Education from Hebrew College in 2017, Julie has studied Jewish music with some of the most influential composers and songwriters in Jewish music today. The music she leads speaks from the heart of tradition, and is infused with energy and life from modern Jewish voices around the world. She is passionate about bringing Jewish wisdom and contemplative practices to creating lives rich with meaning and joy. She is a RYT 200 yoga teacher, having also received certification from the Yoga and Jewish Spirituality Teachers Training program. Receiving certification through IJS’s Jewish Mindfulness Training program, she has been leading Jewish meditation since 2019. She has been deeply engaged with the Institute of Jewish Spirituality for many years as a student, Hevraya member and occasional teacher.