Rabbi Steven Stark Lowenstein
Rabbi Steven Stark Lowenstein was ordained at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio in June, 1995. In July of 2002 he began his tenure as the Senior Rabbi of Am Shalom congregation. Prior to Am Shalom, Rabbi Lowenstein spent 7 years as the Associate Rabbi, with a full range of rabbinic responsibilities, at Temple Sholom of Chicago, the largest Reform congregation in Illinois. Rabbi Lowenstein has a wealth of experience in rabbinic and pastoral service. He is a talented chaplain, preacher and youth worker with experience in Jewish camping, and worked with senior members of the Temple on issues regarding adulthood and aging. During rabbinical school, Rabbi Lowenstein was spiritual leader for congregations in Ohio, Michigan and Oklahoma. He has also developed and taught high school and religious school courses in many areas of Jewish life.
Rabbi Lowenstein is married to Julie Stark-Lowenstein, currently a management trainer for LensCrafters. The Stark-Lowensteins’ greatest accomplishments are their two sons, Benjamin, 15 years old, and Noah, 12 years old. They live in Glencoe.
Currently involved with:
- Glencoe Clergy Association
- North Shore Fellowship of Rabbis
- Chicago Board of Rabbis, Executive Committee
- Steering Committee, Chicago Public School Interfaith Partnership
- Olin Sang Ruby Union Institute -Faculty
- Gilda’s Club Chicago
- United States Holocaust Museum
email Rabbi Lowenstein 847-835-4800 Ext. 255
Associate Rabbi Phyllis Sommer
Rabbi Phyllis Sommer was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She attended the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and is a proud Badger. Phyllis' roots to the region are strong, as she was a camper at Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute for six years.
While a student at the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio, Phyllis served as a student rabbi in New Iberia, Louisiana and Billings, Montana, and as the rabbinic intern at the University of Cincinnati Hillel Jewish Student Center. She has also served as the Program Director at Congregation Ohav Shalom in Cincinnati, as well as taught religious school and tutored B'nai Mitzvah students through many synagogues in Cincinnati. In addition, she completed 400 hours of Clinical Pastoral Education at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. She earned her Masters in Hebrew Letters in 2001 and was ordained in Cincinnati in May, 2003.
Phyllis is married to Rabbi Michael Sommer, and they are blessed with two wonderful boys and a wonderful girl.
Check out Rabbi Sommer’s virtual homes at http://rabbiphyllis.blogspot.com and http://imabima.blogspot.com, where she muses about parenting, life, and Judaism. Email Rabbi Phyllis
email Rabbi Sommer 847-835-4800 Ext. 253
Nancy Diamond Landsman
Nancy Diamond Landsman began her cantorial career in 1979, with her first pulpit being B.J.B.E. (the congregation where she grew up) in Glenview. A graduate of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois in 1980, Nancy received her Bachelor of Science degree, with a major in Social Work and a minor in Music.
Nancy comes from a musical family, where weekly family gatherings always included “show time.” This was the beginning of her musical career. Her love for singing led her to perform in musical theater, opera, choirs, and eventually the Cantorate. Her cantorial studies have been with Hazzan Shlomo Shuster, the late world-renown composer, Max Janowski, and Hazzan Henry Rosenblum (currently the Dean of the H. L. Miller Cantorial School and College of Jewish Music at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York). Nancy's vocal coaches have included: Diane Raigins, Debra Austin, Winifred Brown and Kenneth Smith.
Nancy has served both Conservative and Reform congregations in the Chicago area as well as Rockford, Illinois. Her voice has been heard on the radio and in concerts throughout the United States. Nancy is involved with several Cantorial organizations: Chicago Milwaukee Association of Synagogue Musicians (past Vice President), A.C.C./Guild of Temple Musicians, and Women's Cantors network. Since 1989, Nancy has served at Am Shalom as their Cantor.
Email Nancy Diamond Landsman 847-835-4800 Ext. 252
Judith Berliner, Director of Religious Education
Judi has lived in New York, California, and Chicago. She attended CUNY at Brooklyn College. Jewish education has always been her passion. She has taught in several different schools and in many different settings. She is in her 18th year at Am Shalom.
Judi was the Associate Director of Education for 7 years before becoming the Director of Education. She has also held such positions as religious school teacher, Hebrew teacher, B'nai mitzvah tutor, Hebrew school coordinator, family education supervisor, teacher mentor and even more. Judi has lived in Glencoe for 19 years with her husband Eric. She has 3 children, 2 who are married.
email Judi Berliner 847-835-4800 Ext. 304
Ed Alpert FTA, Executive Director
Ed Alpert has served for 7 years as Executive Director of Am Shalom in Glencoe, Illinois. Previously Ed served for seven years as Executive Director of Temple Sholom of Chicago. Prior to that he owned his own business for 15 years in the private sector. Besides his work at Am Shalom, Ed currently serves as the President of the National Association of Temple Administrators and is a former member of the Reform Pension Board and Hebrew Union College Cincinnati Board of Overseers. Ed resides in Wilmette with his wife Ilene and son Ben.
email Ed Alpert 847-835-4800 Ext. 202
Rabbi Harold Kudan - Founding Rabbi
Rabbi Harold L. Kudan is a native of Glens Falls, New York. He received his B.A. from Skidmore College. He received his Bachelor of Hebrew Letters, Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters and Doctor of Divinity, Honoris Causa from Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati. He was ordained at HUC in June 1959.
Rabbi Kudan served as Rabbi of Moses Montefiore Temple in Bloomington, IL from 1959-1962. For the next ten years, he was the Assistant and Associate Rabbi at North Shore Congregation Israel in Glencoe, Illinois. In 1972, Rabbi Kudan became the founding rabbi of Congregation Am Shalom in Glencoe.
Rabbi Kudan has been actively involved in issues of education, family counseling, and interfaith relations throughout his career. He initiated an interfaith project to honor the Righteous Christians who saved Jews during the Holocaust. This project has a park in Evanston, called the Avenue of the Righteous.
Rabbi Kudan has served as Hillel Counselor at Illinois State University and was on the faculty at Illinois Wesleyan Universities and Barat College. He was Chaplain at Lincoln State School, Pontiac Prison and Dwight Prison. He has served and participated on the Boards of the following organizations: Board of Jewish Education, Chicago Board of Rabbis, Chicago Association of Reform Rabbis, Religious Education Association, Glencoe Human Relations Forum, Community Foundation for Jewish Education, North Shore Interfaith Housing Council, Avenue of the Righteous and the American Jewish Committee. He has served on the faculty of two national institutes of the National Federation of Temple Youth and was technical consultant in Illinois for the White House Conference on Children and Youth. In 2006 Rabbi Kudan was asked to serve on the Board of the North Shore Senior Center in Northfield, IL.
Rabbi Kudan was the founder of a Reform Jewish Congregation specifically geared to Russian immigrants and their families. The Synagogue was called Shaarei Atid and was housed at Am Shalom.
His Rabbinical thesis was entitled, "Current Trends in Christian Religious Education". Rabbi Kudan retired in 2002, and was honored with the title "Founding Rabbi."
Rabbi Kudan and his wife Phyllis reside in Northbrook and are the parents of four sons: Rabbi David (Dr. Barbara Abrams), Mark, Jonathan and Jeremy (Cathy). Their two grandchildren are Ariel and Talia, the children of Rabbi David Kudan and Dr. Barbara Abrams.
Email Rabbi Harold Kudan 847-835-4800 Ext. 251
Sharon Morton, Director of Religious Education Emeritus
Sharon Morton retired in June of 2008 after serving as the Director of Religious Education at Am Shalom for 32 years. During her tenure, she was responsible for the education and social action activities of the youth and the adults. She was the President of the National Association of Temple educators from 1998-2000, and has sat on education boards of American Jewish committee- Midwest Avenue of the Righteous and Jewish Council on Urban Affairs. She was the founder of Sojurrn (Social justice Religious resource network), and Grandparents for social action. She has traveled extensively and led seminars and been scholar in residence in many areas.
As a retiree, she is studying at the Rabbinical School of Bnai Sholom, the congregation for the deaf, traveling, playing with her grandchildren, speaking in various places, and working on her grandparents for social action program. She continues to love and treasure all of her years at Am Shalom and all the people with whom she has worked, both adults and children. .
Lauren Strelsin, Board President Board of Trustees
Office Staff and phone extensions
