Rabbi Rubinstein has been Senior Rabbi of Central Synagogue since 1991. Prior to assuming this position he served as the Rabbi of Peninsula Temple Beth El in San Mateo, California and at Woodlands Community Temple in White Plains, NY. Rabbi Rubinstein received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Amherst College. He received a Master of Hebrew Letters degree with honors and was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) at its New York City campus. He was the Herbert R. Bloch Memorial Fellow at HUC-JIR in Cincinnati, where he specialized in the history of the Jewish community during the second commonwealth.
Rabbi Rubinstein has taught at Manhattanville College, Colgate University, and at HUC-JIR, both in New York and Cincinnati. He is a member of the Rabbinic Board of Overseers of HUC-JIR. In addition to his professional affiliations and responsibilities, Rabbi Rubinstein serves as the rabbinic chairman of the National Commission on Rabbinic-Congregational Relations. He is also the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Auburn Theological Seminary (specializing in continuing education), and on the Boards of UJA-Federation of New York, the Partnership of Faith, the Rabbinic Cabinet of UJA-Federation, Plaza Jewish Community Chapel and the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services. Essays by Rabbi Rubinstein have been included in How Can I Find God (1997), edited by James Martin, and Our Rabbis Taught... (1990).
Angela Warnick Buchdahl was invested as a cantor in 1999 and also ordained as a rabbi in 2001 from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. She is the first Asian-American to be ordained as cantor or rabbi in North America. Cantor Buchdahl received a Wexner Graduate Fellowship for her cantorial studies at HUC-JIR. She earned her B.A. in Religious Studies from Yale University where she was active in religious life on campus and performed frequently with her a capella group.
Prior to her appointment as Cantor at Central Synagogue, Cantor Buchdahl served as Associate Rabbi/Cantor at Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, New York. She has been nationally recognized for her innovations in leading services and has served as faculty for the Wexner Heritage Foundation and for the URJ Kallot programs. Cantor Buchdahl serves on the Board of the Multiracial Jewish Network and regularly teaches and writes on the topic of diversity within the Jewish community.
Rabbi Michael S. Friedman previously served as Assistant Rabbi at Temple B’nai Jeshurun in Short Hills, New Jersey. He served as Director of Junior and Senior High School Programs at the Union for Reform Judaism. Rabbi Friedman holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Yale University and was ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 2004. Prior to ordination, he spent two years as a Rabbinic Intern at Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, New York, and a year as a Rabbinic Intern at the New York Kollel.
Over the years, Rabbi Friedman has volunteered with Project Understanding, an interfaith experience for Jewish and Catholic youth on Long Island; the soup kitchen at Hebrew Union College, and the Union for Reform Judaism's Jacobs Ladder hurricane relief project. He is now a member of the Running Rabbis, who use distance running to influence and inspire those around us and to improve the world in which we live. Rabbi Friedman grew up in Great Neck and likes to play golf, hike, ski, run, cook, and read in his free time.
Rabbi Maurice (Mo) Salth previously served as the Rabbi – Director of Jewish Learning for Temple Beth-El in Hillsborough, New Jersey. Before enrolling at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, he spent more than 10 years working in the fields of youth development, community service and leadership training. He served on the start-up team for AmeriCorps, where he co-designed and implemented the National Civilian Community Corps. Later he became the Director of Education and Community Service for Up With People in Denver, Colorado, where he worked on projects that ranged from environmental restoration after natural disasters to violence prevention and leadership training in high schools.
Rabbi Salth was ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 2005. He holds a Master of Arts in Religious Education degree from HUC-JIR’s School of Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the State University of New York at Binghamton. A hiker and a two-time New York City Marathon finisher, Rabbi Salth is also a very serious Mets and Denver Bronco fan.
Elizabeth Sacks was invested as a cantor in 2007 from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where she was a recipient of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship, as well as awards in Traditional Hazzanut, Talmud, and Midrash. Before coming to Central Synagogue, Cantor Sacks served as a student cantor and educator at a variety of institutions, including the Jewish Community Center of Harrison (Harrison, NY), Reform Congregation Oheb Sholom (Wyomissing, PA) and Machon Hadar (New York, NY). Cantor Sacks grew up in Scarsdale, NY. She received her B.A. in Jewish Studies and Music from Harvard University, where she was also active in Harvard Hillel and music community service programs.
Ms. Thompson, a lawyer by training, worked for many years in the nonprofit sectorÑfirst at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and then at the Lawyers Alliance for New YorkÑbefore joining Central Synagogue as Executive Director in 1993. She is a graduate of Columbia University's School of General Studies and Columbia University Law School. She achieved Senior Status at the Hebrew Union College/National Association of Temple Administrators Institute (HUC/NATA) in 1996 and became a Fellow of Temple Administration in 2006. Ms. Thompson has written numerous articles for the NATA Journal, ADL publications and Lawyers Alliance resource books, and has spoken extensively at various workshops and conventions. She is currently an officer of NATA and serves on numerous NATA committees, was on the Reform Pension Board for six years, and is a member of the CCAR's Finance Committee.
Prior to becoming the Finance Director of Central Synagogue, Gail Shamilov was the chief financial officer at the Institute for Urban Family Health and a senior investment accounting analyst at Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association, respectively. Gail also worked a number of years at various public accounting firms. Born in the former Soviet Union, she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Kabardino-Balkarsky State University and received a BBA in Accounting from Bernard Baruch School of Business. She is certified in Public Accountancy in the State of New York.
Daniel Nadelmann has been Director of Development at Central Synagogue since 2005. Prior to assuming this position, Daniel served as Director of Development for ARZA (Association of Reform Zionists of America) and the World Union for Progressive Judaism. Previously, he was the Executive Director of the Jewish Federation and the Jewish Community Center of Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties, New Jersey. Daniel received his B.A. from Harvard University and his M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He also holds a Masters Degree in Social Studies Teaching and Curriculum Development. Earlier in his career, Daniel taught American History and Government at Scarsdale High School and worked as an executive director for Young Judaea, the Zionist youth movement.
Mrs. Wattenmaker previously served as Director of Education at Temple Shaaray Tefila of Northern Westchester for ten years, overseeing a large Religious School, as well as designing and leading adult education and parenting workshops. In addition, she has mentored religious school teachers and principals, and is a researcher in the field of Jewish parenting and parent education for the URJ Department of Lifelong Learning. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Judaic Studies from The George Washington University and a Master of Arts in Religious Education from Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC - JIR).
Photos of Rabbi Rubinstein, Cantor Buchdahl, Cantor Sacks, Livia Thompson, and Yonni Wattenmaker by Sarah Merians Photography & Company.
Members enjoy benefits such as our award-winning religous schools, music and lecture events, high holy day priority seating and much more.
Free tours of the Sanctuary are given each Wednesday at 12:45 pm. Reservations are not necessary. There is a fee for group tours; call the Archives Office at 212-838-5122, ext. 2041, to arrange time, date and applicable fees. As tours do not take place on major holidays, please be sure to call the Archives Office or check the website for latest information.
