Beth Shalom MD - About Us

Rabbi Grossman

Identified by the New York Jewish Week and The Forward as one of the forty five Jewish leaders to watch in the next century and honored as a Woman of the Year by Jewish Woman magazine in 2000, Rabbi Susan Grossman is an accomplished author, lecturer, and storyteller who offers her congregants a rare blend of spiritual energy, joy, intellectual stimulation and pastoral compassion. She currently serves on the prestigious Committee for Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative Movement. Her responsum (rabbinic decision) on women serving as witnesses and judges in Jewish law, the use of mikveh, and the permissibility of “Partial Birth Abortion” were accepted as official positions of the Conservative Movement. Rabbi Grossman was one of the first women ordained as a rabbi by Jewish Theological Seminary and the first woman to lead her own congregation in both Westchester, New York and Howard County, Maryland. She has written many articles on the role of women in Judaism and co-edited with Orthodox activist Rivka Haut, the anthology Daughters of the King: Women and the Synagogue, published by Jewish Publication Society. Before entering the rabbinate, she directed Holocaust programming for the National Jewish Resource Center (now CLAL) under Rabbi Yitz Greenberg and worked for many years as a journalist and editor. Rabbi Grossman is perhaps best known for her work as one of the editors of the Conservative Movement Humash, Etz Hayim and Torah Commentary for which she worked with Rabbi Harold Kushner on the Derash section and co-edited with Rabbi Elliot Dorff the Halakha L'Maaseh section. She has a Doctorate in Ancient Judaism from Jewish Theological Seminary and has served as spiritual leader of Beth Shalom Congregation in Columbia, Maryland since 1997, where she currently lives with her husband David Boder and their son Yoni.

Cantor Richard Walters

Richard Walters is Beth Shalom’s Cantor. Cantor Walters, a graduate of the Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh College of Jewish Studies, has over 46 years of cantorial experience with Conservative Jewish congregations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. Over those years, Cantor Walters has trained and worked extensively with synagogue choirs and has taught Jewish music and prayer to both children and adults. He has also conducted adult education classes in Hebrew Literacy. At Beth Shalom, Cantor Walters brings zest and enthusiasm and a host of lively melodies to our services on Shabbat and holidays. Aside from his pulpit duties and the other sundry tasks he has assumed, Cantor Walters supervises the Beth Shalom Bar/Bat Mitzvah training program, conducts classes in Torah and Haftorah trop, and has organized an adult choir for special events. Cantor Walters served as Cantor of Temple Israel, Silver Spring, Maryland for five years immediately before assuming his position with Beth Shalom. Cantor Walters, a gifted singer and musician, comes from a musical family. His father, Samuel Walters, was a violinist with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and was a bandleader and synagogue choir director for many years in Pittsburgh. His brother, Cantor Bernard Walters, a pianist and composer, is the Cantor Emeritus of a large Conservative congregation in suburban Philadelphia. Cantor Walters and his wife, Judith, a retired teacher of English for Speakers of Other Languages in the Montgomery County Public Schools, have two children, Rachel and Joshua.

Rabbi Daniel Plotkin, Education Director

Rabbi Daniel Plotkin was ordained by the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati , in 2002. Since then he has served at the Rabbi for Temple Beth Tikvah in Houston and B’nai El Congregation in St. Louis . Rabbi Plotkin has been involved in teaching and Jewish education from the age of 14, working in a variety of religious school, summer camp and youth positions through high school, college and rabbinic school. A two time recipient of the Frederick C. Schwartz Prize for the Rabbinic Student who demonstrates a commitment to URJ Camping and NFTY, Rabbi Plotkin plans to bring his enthusiasm for youth work and camping to USY and Ramah. Along with education, Rabbi Plotkin has a strong interest in Jewish Liturgy and History and has published an article on modern interpretations of Unetaneh Tokef, the High Holy Day prayer that asks “who shall live and who shall die?”.

Born and raised in Milwaukee , Rabbi Plotkin is a proud Badger and Packer fan. His wife, Rachel, is a Baltimore native, and an early childhood and elementary age educator. Rabbi Plotkin and Rachel have two children, Ari and Joshua.

Arlene Malech, President, Board of Trustees

Board of Directors - Beth Shalom Officers

Beth Shalom Executive Board
President	Arlene	Malech
President Elect	Marty	Leshin
First Vice President	Opher	Ganel
Second Vice President	Alan	Sperling
Treasurer	Jeff	Levitt
Recording Secretary	Susan	Eisner
Beth Shalom Board of Directors
Adult Education	Reggie	Counts
Adult Education	Daniel	Farkas
Budget & Finance	Jonathan	Schultz
Building Operations	Susan	Wheeler
Communications	Hallie	Collen
Communications	Hedy	Tanenholtz
Fundraising	Susan	Kuning
Jewish Federation	Arnie	Sheetz
Legal and By-Laws	David	Cohen
Long Range Planning	Ben	Zingman
Membership	Alan	Zimmerman
Membership	Alethea	Schmall
Ombudsman	Glen	Silber
Religious Committee	Ivy	Konel
Religious Committee	Alan	Zeman
Religious School Board	Jeff	Kinstler
Sisterhood President	Eve	Klein
Social Action	Leslie	Segev
Social Action	Melissa	Key
Social Events	Dorney	Chesto Ruck
Youth	Linda	Eisenberg
Book Club	Sharon	Schreiberg
Library Committee	Irva	Nachlas - Gabin
Bowling Team	Steven	Bloom
Hesed	Gail	Greengrass
Bereavement	Susan	Mathason
Bereavement	Beverli	Goldberg
Havurot	Jodi	Saunders
New Member Liason	Annette	Kuperman
Scroll Editor	Marsha	Gorelik

Professional Staff

The Beth Shalom main phone number is 410 531-5115. You may access the staff at the following exentsions:

Rabbi Susan Grossman (x306)

Education Director Rabbi Daniel Plotkin (x304)

Youth Educator & Family Programmer Becca Roberts (x322)

Rabbi's Assistant Revital Curtis (x300)

Bookkeeper Ruthann Klem (x313)

Religious School Secretary Jeffrey Green (x320)

Office Manager Anita Green (x301)

Hosted with Jvillage Network

Upcoming Holidays