Rabbi Ilana Schwartzman
Rabbi Ilana is thrilled to have joined the BHSS community. She spent the last 8 years serving Congregation Kol Ami in Salt Lake City, Utah. Prior to that, she was the Assistant Rabbi of Temple Beth Zion in Buffalo, New York. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and went on to study Hebrew at Ben Gurion University in Beer Sheva, Israel. She was ordained in 2007 from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Rabbi Ilana is a third-generation rabbi. Her grandfather Rabbi Sylvan Schwartzman (z”l) was at the forefront of Reform Jewish education and her father Rabbi Joel Schwartzman has served as an Air Force chaplain and a congregational rabbi.
Rabbi Ilana has lived in places far and wide, including Germany, Greece, Israel and many states within the U.S. She, her husband Art, and daughter are happy to be setting down roots in the BHSS community.
Rabbi Ilana views the contemporary synagogue as a home for prayer, spirituality, social action, study, leadership and engagement and is devoted to these pursuits in her rabbinate. In addition to a love for Judaism and Jewish texts, she has a great love for people and their stories. Her joy lies in the interplay between intellectual Judaism and personal relationships. She also believes that music is a powerful vehicle through which we can connect to each other and God.
Email Rabbi Schwartzman: [email protected]
Read Rabbi Ilana’s latest article in Temple Topics here.
View Rabbi Ilana’s High Holiday Sermons for 5782 by clicking on the titles: Erev Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashanah Morning Kol Nidre – Erev Yom Kippur Yom Kippur Morning
Student Cantor Molly May
Student Cantor Molly May is excited to be returning to Beth Haverim Shir Shalom for Yamim Noraim 5784.
Molly lives in Durham, NC and is studying for the cantorate through the Academy for Jewish Religion in Yonkers, NY. Molly teaches music, Hebrew, and b-mitzvah students at three area congregations and is occasionally on the bima as well. Before moving to Durham, Molly served as the cantorial soloist and choir director at Rodef Shalom Congregation in Pittsburgh, PA
Molly completed a chaplaincy internship at Duke University Hospital during the Spring of 2023 and is interested in further chaplaincy work after she is ordained in 2025.
Molly holds a B. Mus. in Music Education from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance; she holds an M. Mus. in Music Education from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. She has a husband and three children, aged 16, 14, and 12.