Rabbi Daniel Plotkin, a native of Milwaukee, became a part of the B'nai El family in July of 2004. He and his wife Rachel moved to St. Louis from Houston where Rabbi Plotkin was serving Temple Beth Tikvah in the Clear Lake area. Rabbi Plotkin was ordained from the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in 2002 and received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
While serving B'nai El, Rabbi Plotkin has led the congregation in a variety of ways. He has introduced new forms and styles of liturgy to our services, created and taught a wide variety of adult education courses, worked with our Religious School to help foster a positive learning environment for our children and worked with the lay leadership on several important projects including the development of our mission statement and the revitalization of our Social Action Committee.
Rabbi Plotkin is active locally as a member Jewish Fund for Human needs, and in June of 2010 completed his term as the President of the St. Louis Association of Reform Rabbis. He also serves as Vice President of Faith Aloud, a local reproductive right education and advocacy group. Nationally, Rabbi Plotkin is a panelist for the new website Jewish Values Online (jewishvaluesonline.com) and is a member of the CCAR's committee of Liturgy and Practices.
In his spare time Rabbi Plotkin loves to spend time with his wife Rachel and two little boys, Ari and Joshua. In addition he is a member of the B'nai El softball teams and loves to take in a game at Busch Stadium or a round of Golf. He is currently undertaking a project to read a biography of each President of the United States.
Rabbi Plotkin with wife, Rachel, and older son, Ari.
Dan Brodsky - Director of Music
Dan Brodsky has been a part of the B'nai El family since 1986. His beautiful voice adds great spirit to our services.
He oversees all music related activities of the congregation and together with Rabbi Plotkin, Dan is continually introducing new melodies and songs to bring our community together in the spirit of worship.
Religious School Director - Rabbi Lynn Goldstein
B'nai El is thrilled to welcome Rabbi Lynn Goldstein to our staff as our Religious School Director for the 2010-2011 school year.
Rabbi Goldstein is a long time St. Louis resident who has worked in numerous capacities in the Jewish community and the general community. Her experience includes congregational leadership, educational direction, counseling in hospital and other settings and lecturing on Judaism at Fontbonne University.
Rabbi Goldstein has some wonderful new ideas in store for our religious school and is working hard to create the best possible educational environment for our children.
Susan Baseley - Administrator
Susan Baseley, B'nai El's Administrator, is a one-woman show in our office, answering your phone calls, organizing mailings, keeping our books, and overseeing our building operations, along with assisting the Rabbi and the other staff in the completion of thier duties.
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