- Mark Kaiserman
Mark Kaiserman (born
April 25 ,1970 ) is therabbi ofTemple Emanu-El of West Essex in Livingston,New Jersey .Career
Originally from
Brooklyn ,New York , Kaiserman received his ordination from theHebrew Union College inCincinnati ,Ohio in 1997 [ [http://www.huc.edu/news/ord.html] Ordination announcement from HUC-JIR] and was an honorsEnglish Literature /Judaic Studies graduate fromSUNY Binghamton in 1992. For seven years he was the Assistant/Associate Rabbi at Temple Emanu-El inDallas ,Texas having previously worked as the student rabbi inTexarkana, Texas ;Quincy, Illinois ; andVictoria, Texas . Since July 2004, he has been the rabbi at Temple Emanu-El of West Essex inLivingston, New Jersey , a 500-family Reform congregation.In his rabbinate, Kaiserman encourages a climate of diversity and integration among Temple committees and the
Jewish community . His programmatic focus includes worship, youth activities,adult education , outreach [ [http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/C82K05ZDV2OI/] Amazon's "So you'd like to...Convert to Judaism" by Kaiserman] , andinterfaith work [ [http://www.jcrcdallas.org/gibson.php] Notification on class on "The Passion of the Christ " that Kaiserman taught] . He often uses film and popular culture in his teaching and is known for his originalPurim shpiels, dynamic teaching style, and humor [ [http://www.beliefnet.com/story/168/story_16809_1.html] Article by Mary Blye Howe on herShavuot experience learning with Kaiserman] . Rabbi Kaiserman led the first synagogue-wide trip toIsrael from Temple Emanu-El.Leadership and Honors
In the Fall of 2007, Kaiserman was named to serve on the
Central Conference of American Rabbis ' Task Force on the Challenges of Intermarriage to the Reform Rabbinate ["CCAR Newsletter," November/December 2007, p. 2] . In 2007-2008, he served in the second cohort of the prestigious STAR Rabbis: From Good to Great program for 2007-2008 [ [http://www.njjewishnews.com/njjn.com/060707/mwYearProgram.html] "NJ Jewish News" article on Kaiserman & STAR] . He has taken a leadership role in several organizations including the bike rides of the environmental organization,Hazon , co-chairing "Bike to the Beach" 2007 and participating in the New York Ride in 2005, 2007, and 2008 [ [http://www.njjewishnews.com/njjn.com/062107/mwRabbiBikes.html] "NJ Jewish News" article on Kaiserman & Hazon] .Rabbi Kaiserman was named "Youth Worker of the Month" in May 2007 by the
Union for Reform Judaism [ [http://urj.org/pr/2007/rjyw%5Fmay/] Union for Reform Judaism Weekly Briefing, May 4, 2007] . Several of Kaiserman'ssermon s have been published in "The American Rabbi" and his modern midrash on the "Akedah" was printed in the Spring 2000 issue of the "CCAR Journal" [ [http://data.ccarnet.org/journal/600.html] "CCAR Journal" Spring 2000 Table of Contents] . In college, Kaiserman graduatedphi beta kappa andmagna cum laude . He received numerous awards in rabbinical school including theSimon Lazarus Memorial Prize for the Highest Academic Standing in the Graduating Rabbinical Class. Hisportrait was painted by Dallas artist JR Smith [ [http://www.jr-art.com/paintings/people/rabbiMarkKaiserman.html] JR Smith Portrait page] .Kaiserman has been a featured speaker at several synagogues and programs including Temple Beth El in
Charlotte, North Carolina ; Temple Emanu-El in Dallas, Texas [ [http://www.tedallas.org/events/events9/Cinema%20Emanu-el.html] Temple Emanu-El in Dallas' 10th Anniversary Film Series announcement] ; and at both the URJ North American and Regional Biennials. He has been a teacher and conference planner at severalNFTY Youth Conventions and URJ Youth Workers Conferences.Family
Kaiserman is related to a number of prominent or growing-in-prominence Jewish professionals. His grandfather,
Menashe Unger , was a well-knownYiddish writer and journalist ["New York Times" Obituary, July 8, 1969] . His older brother, Saul Kaiserman, is the Director of Life-Long Learning at Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York [ [http://www.emanuelnyc.org/simple.php/about_staff] Temple Emanu-El, New York Staff List] . His sister, Toby Berkow, is the Executive Director forTemple Israel of Hollywood [ [http://www.tioh.org/welcome/meet_staff.php?pid=49] Temple Israel of Hollywood Staff List] . Hissister-in-law , Elizabeth Freirich, is a second-year rabbinical student the Hebrew Union College in New York. His sister-in-law's brother, Jonathan Freirich, is aReconstructionist ordained rabbi atTemple Bat Yam , a Reform synagogue inSouth Lake Tahoe ,California . [ [http://templebatyamtahoe.org/About%20the%20rabbi.htm] Temple Bat Yam "About the Rabbi"]Notes
ee also
*
History of the Jews in Dallas, Texas External links
* Interview from [http://rjyouthworker.urj.org/Articles/index.cfm?id=1332 RJ Youthworker]
* [http://www.emanuel.org/ Temple Emanu-El of West Essex] , Livingston, New Jersey
* [http://www.emanuel.org/aboutus/leadership/rabbi/ Kaiserman Bio] from Temple Emanu-El
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.