MEET OUR RABBIS AND CANTORS
Cantor Devorah Avery, Congregation Har HaShem
Cantor Avery has served congregations in New York, Illinois, and Texas and is an active member of the American Conference of Cantors. Ordained in 2007 from Hebrew Union College- Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) with a Master’s in Sacred Music, she also has a B.A. in Music (voice and viola) from The University of Tulsa in Tulsa, OK. Cantor Avery recently completed the Clergy Leadership Program through the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. She and her husband live in Broomfield with their dog and two cats.
Rabbi Deborah Bronstein, Rabbi Emerita, Congregation Har HaShem
Rabbi Emerita Deborah Bronstein thinks of herself, above all else, as a pastoral rabbi, devoting great personal attention to the ill, the mourner, or the individual person in conflict or need. In this respect, she likes to call Har HaShem the “home of hope.” She delights in lifecycle simchas and personal joys in the lives of her congregational family as well as in the fun and joyous holy days for our diverse community.
With deep concern for those who live on the margins of society, she is an inspiring voice on the role of synagogues in providing a spiritual haven for those struggling with mental illness, and she sits on the boards for various mental health programs, safe houses and shelters. She loves to teach adults and children alike, using stories to define life issues and provide personal meaning while addressing serious themes in her sermons.
Rabbi Jacob Chatinover, Congregation Bonai Shalom
Rav Jacob serves as Director of Congregational Learning at Congregation Bonai Shalom. He is an experienced educator having served as a Jewish outdoor educator at Teva, Hazon, Pearlstone, Eden Village Camp, Ramah in the Rockies, and Bamidbar Wilderness Therapy, as well as teaching Hebrew College’s Teen Beit Midrash.
His prior synagogue experience includes roles as a rabbinic apprentice and as B’nei Mitzvah Program Director. Rav Jacob has studied at Yeshivat Yesodei HaTorah, the Northwoods Kollel, Yeshivat Hadar, and holds a BA in Near Eastern & Judaic Studies from Brandeis University. He also recently completed his Rabbinic Ordination and Masters of Jewish Studies at the rabbinical school of Hebrew College in Newton, MA. Rav Jacob brings deep learning, passion, and experience to his work at Congregation Bonai Shalom. His favorite type of Torah learning is when a text describes an experience we’ve had with a perfect image. In addition to Torah learning, Rav Jacob likes singing, sleeping outdoors, mending things, pickling, collecting quotes, and reading comic books, and being a father.
Rav Brian Field, Community Rabbi
Inspired by the radical ecumenicism of Jewish Renewal pioneer Rabbi Zalman Schachter Shalomi and the Integral Theory of Ken Wilber, Brian works for a maximally-inclusive Judaism that plays a robust role in the healing of the planet and the liberation of all human beings.
Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, Rabbi Emerita, Nevei Kodesh
Rabbi Firestone, a founding rabbi of Congregation Nevei Kodesh, is a renowned teacher, author and Jungian therapist. She speaks and teaches locally and nationally on the topics of spirituality, ancient mystical wisdom for the modern soul, the re-integration of feminine wisdom into the Jewish tradition, and ancestral healing. Ordained by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi in 1992, she is a leader in the international Jewish Renewal movement.
Her publications include “With Roots in Heaven,” “The Receiving: Reclaiming Jewish Women’s Wisdom,” and “Wounds Into Wisdom: Healing Intergenerational Trauma.”
Rabbi Tirzah leads services from time to time and offers workshops on the modern applications of ancient wisdom, and how to transform old patterns into new blessings for the world.
Morah Yehudis Fishman, Community Educator
Hi everyone! My name is Yehudis Fishman, best known as ‘Morah Yehudis.’ I’ve been in Boulder since 9/11 when I was hired as the spiritual director of the newly formed Modern Orthodox congregation ‘Aish Kodesh.’ When that congregation folded several years ago, I morphed into a general Jewish Community Educator, and rebranded as ‘Free Agent; Working for G-d.’
I’ve lived in Boulder longer than anywhere else in my 80+ years, and since acquiring a burial plot here, I feel truly ‘grounded,’ until the coming of the Mashiach when, G-d willing, many of us will relocate to a peaceful and united Israel. Until then, I write blogs about Shabbat and Torah, and books about Judaism’s impact on contemporary life (Deuteronomy Press). I teach, mentor and learn, and love the feeling I get when I’ve had a positive Jewish impact on someone else. If you have questions about Judaism or need help with Jewish issues, give me a shout! We’ll learn together.
Rabbi Ruth Gelfarb, Adjunct Rabbi, Congregation Har HaShem
Rabbi Gelfarb is certified through the Institute for Jewish Spirituality in Jewish Mindfulness and Meditation Practice. As a master educator, she enjoys teaching mindfulness and Jewish history, philosophy, and poetry. Rabbi Gelfarb is passionate about social justice, Jewish spirituality, and making connections with world Jewry. She has traveled to Jewish communities in Ethiopia, Turkey, Israel, France, Argentina, El Salvador, India, Nepal, Thailand, and Ghana.
Prior to joining Congregation Har HaShem, Rabbi Gelfarb served as the Director of Service at American Jewish World Service, Program Director at the Chicago Foundation for Women, and as the Senior Jewish Educator at the University of Chicago’s Hillel. She lives with her husband Tom Hopson, an atmospheric scientist, and their rescue dog, Cappy.
Rabbi Sarah Bracha Gershuny, Community Rabbi
Rabbi and Kohenet (Hebrew Priestess) Sarah Bracha Gershuny is a writer, ritualist, musician, healer and teacher. Together with her creative co-facilitator Yoel Sykes, she leads Wellsprings, Boulder-based independent gatherings for musical prayer, authentic movement, and community-building spiritual practice. Rabbi Sarah (aka SB) also facilitates the Chodesh Circle, an online learning community exploring the magic and mystery of the Hebrew calendar.
Rabbi Gershuny also provides spiritual counseling, pastoral support, and personal tutoring. A gifted creator and facilitator of ritual, she can work with you to craft and facilitate the life-cycle ceremony you need at this moment in your life, whether with a traditional rite such as a wedding, baby naming, home blessing or funeral; or a less conventional one honoring changes like divorce, menopause, pregnancy loss or gender transition.
Rabbi SB has received two ordinations: as a Rabbi from Boston’s Transdenominational Hebrew College Rabbinical School; and as a Kohenet from the Kohenet Hebrew Priestess Institute, a contemporary wisdom school devoted to female expressions of Jewish leadership. She is on a mission to transform human consciousness through direct spiritual transmission and fierce joy. Read her writings here.
Rabbi Lynne Goldsmith, Adventure Judaism
Rabbi Lynne Goldsmith received ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in June of 2007. She moved to Colorado in 2017 after serving as the solo rabbi at Temple Emanu-el in Dothan, AL for ten years, only to discover she is really bad at being retired. So, she joined the Adventure Rabbi team in Boulder, CO, where she officiates at weddings and life cycle events, prepares students for B Mitzvah, and works with conversion candidates.
She also teaches and conducts Shabbat and other holiday services in a small synagogue in Fort Collins and in the 55+community where she resides. Rabbi Lynne believes passionately in Jewish education for all ages and has spent many years working to build interfaith relationships. In her spare time of being not-retired, she takes full advantage of the beauty and outdoor adventures that living in Colorado provides. She and her husband have two sons, two daughters-in-law, and three wonderful grandchildren.
Rabbi Fred Greene, Congregation Har HaShem
Rabbi Fred Greene is a community partner striving to make Congregation Har HaShem a dynamic, inclusive and meaningful Reform congregation in Boulder, CO. He aspires to provide a ‘brave space’ for those looking to connect – or reconnect – to Judaism and Jewish community. As religious life seems out of touch or irrelevant to some, Rabbi Greene’s goal is to help them reclaim faith, hope, and our own prophetic, moral voice.
Rabbi Greene has served congregations in New York, Connecticut, and Georgia and is an active member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. Ordained in 2001 from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), with a master’s Degree in Hebrew Literature, he is currently pursuing the degree of Doctor of Ministry in Prophetic Leadership from Iliff School of Theology in Denver. Rabbi Greene and his wife, Deborah, are proud parents of three incredible young women who are finding their own way in the world.
Cantor Mark Kula, Spiritual Leader
Cantor Kula is an experienced leader, educator, preacher, musician, and chaplain He’s served as both a Cantor and a Rabbi in New York, South Florida, Montana, and Colorado Jewish communities. He earned distinction in education and innovative programming as well as recognition for creative cultural, intellectual, and spirited Judaic messaging.
Cantor Kula is firmly committed to the prophetic call for Tikkun Olam (repairing the world), being hands-on and actively serving those in need, raising up social justice causes, and valuing each person’s sacredness. He holds degrees from Columbia University, The Jewish Theological Seminary, New York City University, and The Rabbinical Academy of New York. He is a member of OHALA Rabbinical Association, the Cantors Assembly and the Rocky Mountain Rabbinic Association. He lives in Boulder with his wife, Dr. Coreen Duffy, Director of Choral Activities, Associate Professor of Music at CU Boulder and is the proud father of Charlotte and Asher.
Rabbi Hannah Laner, Community Rabbi
Rabbi Hannah is one of the founders of Congregation Nevei Kodesh and now serves as a spiritual leader in Boulder, CO. Mentored by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and ordained through ALEPH, the Alliance for Jewish Renewal, she has served congregations around the U.S. and in Canada since the 1980s. She also teaches Biblical Hebrew to rabbinic students in the ALEPH Ordination Program.
As an ordained Maggidah (Jewish Storyteller), Rabbi Hannah infuses learning with her passionate love of Torah and tradition. She enjoys teaching young children, B’nai Mitzvah students and adults. Rabbi Hannah is the winner of many awards for innovation and creativity in Jewish education, including the Grinspoon-Steinhardt Award for Excellence in Jewish Education.
Rabbi Hannah loves working with conversion students and officiating life-cycle celebrations, especially because she gets to work closely with individuals, couples, and families to co-create personal, meaningful ceremonies that weave Jewish tradition with their own unique self-expression.
Rabbi Charna Rosenholtz, Community Rabbi
Rabbi Charna Rosenholtz, MA ordained as a Rabbi with Aleph Ordination Program. She is a Hebrew wisdom teacher (Maggid) who specializes in Torah study and unpacking the relevant wisdom from ancient sacred texts for today’s issues. Reb Charna holds a master’s degree in religious studies from Naropa University in Boulder, CO and is ordained as a Spiritual Director.
Prior to receiving her ordination, Reb Charna worked as a healing arts practitioner for more than 30 years in the fields of therapeutic massage & bodywork, body-centered psychotherapy, nutrition, dream work and energy work. She has studied with medicine women, clergy, and master teachers in Hebrew wisdom, personal growth, and spiritual health. She is a trainer for the Right Use of Power Institute, specializing in working with clergy. Her long history of leading ritual and ceremony is infused with traditional Judaism and earth-based traditions. Rabbi Charna teaches nationally, and is the Director of Shulchan™, LLC, an on-line beit midrash/house of study.
Rabbi Alan Shavit-Lonstein, Adventure Judaism
Rabbi Alan Shavit-Lonstein was drawn to Boulder for the hiking, biking and mountain air. He is a teacher who strives to make learning accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds and an officiant who works to build meaningful, authentic ceremonies. As part of the Adventure Judaism team, Rabbi Alan provides B’Mitzvah and conversion education, premarital counseling, and conducts weddings.
Prior to moving to Boulder, Rabbi Alan lived in St Paul, MN. He founded By The Rivers: A Multi-Faith Learning and Lifecycle Center; was a staff member at Hineni: A Center for Adult Jewish Learning and Contemplative Practices; and was a member of the Interfaith Family Network. Rabbi Alan also served as a pulpit rabbi in St. Paul, MN, and the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa.
When he is not serving the community as a rabbi, you can find him managing the Genius team at the Apple Store at Twenty Ninth Street mall repairing relationships, iPhones and computers. He and his wife Becky are blessed with three children, Noa, Naveh and Naomi.
Rabbi Diane Tiferet Lakein, Congregation Nevei Kodesh
Rabbi Diane Tiferet Lakein is an ordained rabbi through ALEPH, the Alliance for Jewish Renewal. As the rabbinic leader of Congregation Nevei Kodesh in Boulder, Rabbi Diane enjoys teaching about Torah, prayer and Jewish Renewal. She firmly believes that Judaism offers a treasure-trove of riches for learners of all ages and backgrounds. In working with individuals, groups and congregations, Rabbi Diane encourages and supports the exploration of Jewish knowledge and practices in ways that are heart-centered, grounded in ‘right action’ and informed by spiritual curiosity.
Prior to moving to Boulder, Rabbi Diane served congregations in Freiburg, Germany and Basel, Switzerland. She holds a Masters of Jewish Education from Hebrew College. Earlier in her life she studied international politics and cultural anthropology (she graduated with a B.A. from Princeton University and an M.A. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor) – and has lived extended periods of her life abroad including in Sweden, Thailand, China, and Germany. She is happily married and the mother of two.
Rabbi Eva Sax Bolder, Community Rabbi
Rabbi Eva received rabbinic ordination through ALEPH, the Alliance for Jewish Renewal. An alumna of CLAL’s trans-denominational Rabbis Without Borders and the IJS Clergy Leadership Program, she is also a teacher of Jewish Mindfulness Meditation, Mussar and Wise Eldering. She maintains a practice as a Jewish spiritual director/companion and serves as Head of Spiritual Direction for the aleph ordination Program.
Drawing on her skills as a creative artist, she integrates the expressive arts into her rabbinate as a Creative Facilitator through the Jewish Studio Project. As a spiritual leader, she designs transformative learning and ritual opportunities to provide seekers with joyful and creative approaches to Judaism. Rabbi Eva is firmly committed to supporting people of all identities and enhancing the spiritual lives of those whom she encounters with an open heart. Rabbi Eva’s commitment to social justice is an integral aspect of her practices. She strives to create profound, personal ceremonies and rites of passage that embrace the divine and rejoice in the wonders of each individual.
Rabbi Marc Soloway, Bonai Shalom
Rabbi Marc Soloway has been Congregation Bonai Shalom’s rabbi since 2004, the same year that he was ordained at The Ziegler School for Rabbinic Studies at The American Jewish University in Los Angeles. His rabbinical training spanned six years in London, Jerusalem, and Los Angeles. Before that, he was an actor and storyteller in his native London. He was also a practitioner of complementary medicine, including massage and cranial-sacral therapy. He values dialogue and diversity and is a jubilant supporter of the chicken and goat co-op across the street from Bonai Shalom.
Rabbi Marc is engaged with many important faith-based, environmental, and justice organizations including Together Colorado, a local interfaith clergy group; Limmud Conference, UK; and Hazon, America’s largest faith-based environmental organization, where he serves on the Hazon Colorado Advisory Board.