A Roadmap for Our BT Community's Future

Centennial Updates:

A Roadmap for Our BT Community’s Future

Beth Tfiloh’s approaching centennial year provides our community the opportunity to celebrate our accomplishments while drafting the blueprints for building our future. This opportunity will be one that involves many exciting changes, including improvements to our building and the introduction of several new and accomplished staff members, as well as several well-earned transitions for some of Beth Tfiloh’s brightest lights.

Building Enhancements and Renovations

This summer, the hallway surrounding the Fader Courtyard was renovated in preparation for a museum-caliber multimedia timeline to be installed between the Tuvin and Hurwitz Hall. The timeline, which will be unveiled this fall, will feature a comprehensive recap of Beth Tfiloh’s history, with new digital content updated over the course of the year and a companion website. This renovation also completes the earlier remodeling of the synagogue lobby for a consistently beautiful environment. Several prominent architectural firms were invited to submit proposals for creative ways to make the Dahan Sanctuary’s space more intimate, allowing for a more meaningful and personal davening experience. The winning proposal will be selected this fall. Special thanks to our members Uri Avin, director of University of Maryland’s Center for Planning and Design, and Cass Gottlieb, principal at Waldon Studio Architects, for sharing their talents and experience with our BT community as they spearhead this momentous initiative.

Staff Transitions

After nearly fifty years of devoted service to our congregation, Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg will transition into the role of rabbi-inresidence. In this role, his profound impact on our shul will continue to be felt as Rabbi Wohlberg remains an ever-present force at our programming, classes, life cycle events, sermons, services and High Holy Days. For the next four years, he will serve as an invaluable resource for our clergy and community as a whole as he remains in Baltimore with his wife, children, and grandchildren. In his own words, “There’s no place else I’d rather be – Beth Tfiloh is my home!” Our beloved hazzan, Avi Albrecht, will take his final bow at Beth Tfiloh in December 2022, after an exceptional 26-year tenure. A true Beth Tfiloh icon, he is loved by the Beth Tfiloh family for his personal warmth, his rich baritone voice, his musical creativity, and his inspiring spirituality. Following the High Holy Days, we will form a search committee to determine what our next cantorial role will look like.

As announced in May, Executive Director Eve Kresin Steinberg and Director of Youth and Synagogue Programming Cherie Brownstein have transitioned into new Centennial-focused roles. Together, they are leading this year’s festivities, drawing their Beth Tfiloh careers to a close amidst great joy and celebration.

Stay tuned for details about the many opportunities to celebrate the accomplishments and impact of these extraordinary Beth Tfiloh legends.

Hazzan Avi Albrecht

Eve Steinberg

Dan Silien with his family

We are excited to welcome two dynamic, accomplished team members to our devoted professional staff: Dan Silien, director of shul operations, and Talia Jordan, director of programming and engagement. Dan is thrilled to join the BT community in this new position. He brings a wealth of knowledge and skills to this role, having most recently served as the executive director of a large Reform congregation. In that role, he managed the finance, communications, facilities, administrative, human resources and personnel functions, as well as developed congregant and board relations and worked on strategic planning. Dan holds a J.D. cum laude from New York University School of Law and graduated from The American University magna cum laude with a degree in international studies. He brings a professional background in law, technology, business, management and public relations with him. “I can’t wait to join this dynamic team of talented individuals and begin to get to know the warm and welcoming community that is BT! While I enjoyed working as an attorney and as an entrepreneur, my real passion is utilizing my talents and skills to help the Jewish community thrive.” Joining BT is a bit of a homecoming for Dan and his family. Dan was born in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC; his wife Rachel is a Pikesville native who graduated from Pikesville High School. Their son, Ryan, is a 10th grader at our high school. They are also joined by their loving rescue cat, Merlin. “We are all eager to meet more of the BT extended family and look forward to our time in Baltimore. Please call or stop by BT to introduce yourself,” Dan said. We also welcome Talia Jordan, who comes to us after most recently serving as the director of Hillel of Northern NJ, where she oversaw Jewish life at five New Jersey colleges. An Englewood, NJ, native, Talia studied religion and Judaic studies at Williams College and will graduate from the Jewish Theological Seminary with a master’s degree in Jewish educational leadership this fall. Her hobbies include cooking Sephardic food, learning Midrash, and beginner yoga. She is particularly looking forward to engaging new families and innovating new programs for all ages

at BT. Talia, her husband Aaron, and their two-year-old son, Levi, are extremely excited to join the BT community. “I can already tell that BT is a special community, and we have received such a heartwarming welcome from everyone we’ve met,” Talia said. “I think BT is a unique opportunity to be part of a Modern Orthodox environment that places Jewish values at the forefront and welcomes every Jew with open arms. That’s what makes me so excited to join the BT team.” Shani and Matan Shefler, who come to us from Efrat, Israel, will proudly serve as our Israeli shlichim for the next two years. Shani Rotem-Shefler most recently served as director of the Child Development Unit in a private clinic that she owns, providing speech therapy services and parental guidance for a diverse population of children. She holds a B.A. in speech and language pathology from Hadassah College, and a master’s degree

Shani and Matan Shefler