Rabbi Nadav Caine
Originally from Philadelphia, "Rav Nadav" took an academic path to the rabbinate. He studied religion and philosophy at Princeton (AB ’88), Harvard (MTS ’93), and Stanford (ten years of doctoral work) universities while teaching widely in Jewish education, eventually enrolling at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles where he was ordained as a Conservative rabbi. He served as the leader of Ner Tamid Synagogue in San Diego for eleven years before coming to Beth Israel in 2018.
Rav Nadav’s passion is teaching the interconnections among the mystical, historical, scientific, and psychological dimensions of Judaism. In his sermons, he focuses on applying Torah to the issues of our day.
I love watching the smiles on people's faces when I serve them a home-roasted cappuccino while we debate an editorial from the morning paper and how it relates to the recent parashah. Or watching a teenager read Torah during Yom Kippur followed by us chanting Avinu Malkeinu as the building sways and rocks. Or when someone tells me the 16h century Kabbalistic teaching I just quoted at Friday Night Services is saying the same thing they've always felt to be true about the universe. Above everything, my favorite part of being a rabbi is the one-on-one interactions. "The world is made of stories, not of atoms," wrote the poet Muriel Rukeyser, and when we listen deeply -- Shema -- to each other's stories, we hear God's voice." - Rav Nadav
Email Rabbi Caine.
Rabbi Caine's podcast Judaism for the Thinking Person is available by asking Alexa, Google, Apple, Spotify, Amazon, or by clicking here.
Rabbi Caine is on the Rabbinic committees of Hazon and of Dror Israel.
Some of Rabbi Caine's High Holiday Sermons
We All Need Empathy on Israel, Especially Me!
True Religion is Moving Beyond the Progressive Lens on Israel
Sermon: Our Relationship with God through Our Inner Voice
Your Only Freedom is in Service
Those in Addiction Recovery are our Teachers
Jerry Sorokin, Executive Director
Jerry Sorokin is excited to be back in Ann Arbor, where he attended graduate school. Trained as a political scientist, Jerry has spent over twenty years working as an executive director in the Jewish community, first with Hillel at the University of Iowa and then at the community day school in his hometown of Edmonton, Alberta. He loves everything about synagogue life: participating in services, teaching bar and bat mitzvah lessons, meeting and reconnecting with members of all ages and backgrounds. Please reach out to him with questions and suggestions about the congregation.
Contact Jerry at gsorokin@bethisrael-aa.org
Beth Jarvis, Director of Operations
Contact Beth at bjarvis@bethisrael-aa.org
Sam Zielinski, Administrative Coordinator & Rabbi Caine's Assistant
Sam has worked with Beth Israel for going on 5 years. Sam has lived all over Michigan, settling in Ann Arbor after college with his two cats. Outside of work Sam is a passionate collector and traveler.
Contact Sam at szielinski@bethisrael-aa.org
Lynne Caine, School Director
Lynne Caine holds a BA in Education, and a Masters in Educational Psychology. Lynne began her career as a full time Elementary Art Teacher in a Title I school in the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada. She comes from a line of award winning public school teachers and administrators, so you could say she joined the family business. After receiving her masters, Lynne worked 11 years as a middle school guidance counselor, becoming counseling department chair in a school of 1400 students. In addition to helping students feel valued by and connected to their school community, Lynne's favorite time was spent creating and presenting guidance lessons to her students (on topics such as success strategies addressing social emotional development, learning strategies, bullying prevention, conflict resolution, solution-focused goal setting, listening and communication skills, and so on). Lynne also enjoyed working closely with the administration team, running student aide cohorts (what we call "madrichim"), and facilitating cooperative conferences with students, teachers, and parents. Since leaving the district, she has been creating special family synagogue programs such as The Kids' Seder Experience, the Rosh Hashanah Family Event, the Shavuot Climb-Mount-Sinai program, and the "How To Raise Children with More God and Less Anxiety" series for parents. Lynne practices the guiding principles of "start where you want to end" (so we keep in mind our ideal expected BIRS graduate as we design and teach) and the motto "See! Do! Teach!" so our children progress quickly from learners to doers and then to teachers themselves. Email Lynne.
Barbara McAnelly, Director of Engagement and Programming
Barbara McAnelly originally comes from Texas, where she was an active member of Congregation Or Ami in Houston. Before joining Beth Israel, Barbara worked in education, teaching high school Literature and Special Education for the past 5 years in Texas, Ohio, and California. Barbara has worked in PR and engagement as well, and she has a passion for supporting connections within the Jewish community.
Barbara holds a B.A. in Literature and Literary Criticism from University of St. Thomas and a Certificate in Jewish Leadership through Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership.
Contact Barb at barbm@bethisrael-aa.org
Benjamin Brent, Youth & Family Coordinator
Ben Brent grew up in Central Florida, where he was deeply involved in his synagogue’s yo
uth programming and USY. After high school, he moved to Israel and served as a commander in the IDF’s 101st Airborne (Tzanchanim). Following his service, Ben earned a B.A. in Government at Reichman University. Ben graduated valedictorian and sought to continue his education, moving to Ann Arbor to study at the University of Michigan Law School. After October 7th, Ben chose to stop attending law school and instead focus his time on connecting to Judaism and his family. Since then, he has been teaching at BIRS and HDS and currently serves as Youth and Family Coordinator, a role he began in April.
Ben lives with his wife, Aviva, and their two pets. He loves traveling, nature, history, and cooking. Ben is always happy to chat—so don’t hesitate to reach out!
Contact Ben at benb@bethisrael-aa.org
Meg Bernstein, Ritual Assistant
Meg was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA where she attended religious school at Tree of Life Congregation and was an active member of the youth choir. After becoming a bat mitzvah, she enrolled in the School of Advanced Jewish Studies, a continuing education program for teens.
She studied Creative Writing at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, and is currently a student pursuing a B.A. in Religious Studies at Eastern Michigan University. She plans to continue her education with an MFA in creative writing and rabbinic school in the future.
For ten years she worked for Trader Joe’s, including four years as the wine buyer in the Ann Arbor store where she also taught wine education classes. Before Trader Joe’s, she worked in a variety of industries including yoga, childcare, and education.
Meg enjoys horror films, fantasy novels, and Jewish folklore. She loves reading poetry, thrift shopping, and hiking in the snow. She hopes to share with you her passion for spiritual writing, creative and inspirational programs, and one-on-one encounters of friendship and community.
Contact Meg at meg@bethisrael-aa.org
Rabbi Robert Dobrusin, Rabbi Emeritus
Rabbi Robert Dobrusin served for 30 years as the Rabbi of Beth Israel Congregation. On his retirement in June, 2018, he was named Rabbi Emeritus.
Rabbi Dobrusin received his B.A. in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University and an M.A. and Rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. In 2010, he received an honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree from JTS. Named one of the 33 most inspiring rabbis in America by The Forward, he is an accomplished writer. Rabbi Dobrusin is the author of “The Long Way Around: Stories and Sermons from a Life’s Journey”, available on Amazon. You can read his sermons and writings on his webpage: robdobrusin.com and listen to his weekly podcast, Wrestling and Dreaming: Engaging Discussions on Judaism at wrestlinganddreaming.podbean.
Rabbi Dobrusin is an active supporter of many different Jewish organizations, a former co-chair for T’ruah: A Rabbinic Call For Human Rights, and a founding member of the Interfaith Round Table of Washtenaw County.
Born and raised in Boston, Rabbi Dobrusin is a passionate fan of the Boston Red Sox, loves to travel and to participate in his latest hobby: geocaching. Rabbi Dobrusin and his wife, Ellen, have two adult children, Avi and Mickie. They also have a very sweet rescue dog named Millie. Email Rabbi Dobrusin
Denise Leyton, Adult Librarian
Contact Denise at adult-library@bethisrael-aa.org