CLERGY
Senior Rabbi
Rabbi Ruth A. Zlotnick
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Rabbi Ruth A. Zlotnick has been described by her community as a teacher of Torah and Jewish values and is beloved for her gifts of knowledge, leadership, and counsel; inspirational worship services; and creative programming.
Rabbi Zlotnick previously served as Rabbi at Temple Beth Or in the Township of Washington, New Jersey and as Associate Rabbi and Director of Lifelong Learning at New York's Central Synagogue. She also worked as Associate Director of Programs at Synagogue 2000, a national project aimed at revitalizing synagogues from all streams of American Judaism. In the New York-area, she taught at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) and Fairfield University. She currently sits on the Board of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and the Advisory Board for the Center for Religious Wisdom and World Affairs at Seattle University.
Rabbi Zlotnick is a graduate of HUC-JIR where she was ordained in 2001. She earned a Master of Hebrew Letters from HUC-JIR; she also holds a Master's in the Philosophy of Religion from Yale University and a Bachelor's degree in religious studies from Wesleyan University.
Associate Rabbi
Rabbi Jason R. Levine
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Rabbi Jason R. Levine serves our community in many capacities with a focus on our youth, relationship-building, and creating avenues for creativity, innovation, and discovery in our shared Jewish journey. Rabbi Levine shares worship leadership and life cycle officiation with Rabbi Zlotnick and Rabbi Benson, as well as supervises the Beth Am Temple Youth (BATY) program and Director of Youth Engagement. In addition, Rabbi Levine teaches our URJ Introduction to Judaism course, 10th Grade Covenant Renewal, Downtown Brown Bag, Parsha & Poker, as well as numerous other learning opportunities for both our youth and adult communities. Rabbi Levine also supports various retreats, camp, and immersion programs, including organizing an 11th-12th grade trip to Washington D.C. to participate in L’Taken, the Religious Action Center’s social justice seminar.
Rabbi Levine is involved throughout the larger community in social action, advocacy, and young adult engagement, including sitting on the Government Affairs Task Force for the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, participating in the Young Adult Engager Network, and serving as a former Chair of the Washington Coalition of Rabbis. Rabbi Levine is always excited to make one-on-one connections with new people and welcomes the opportunity to meet and share new ideas.
Rabbi Levine joined Temple Beth Am in 2013 as Assistant Rabbi after being ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and was promoted to Associate Rabbi in 2015. Originally from the Midwest, he graduated from Cornell University with degrees in Neurobiology & Behavior and Near Eastern Studies. His background is in both formal and informal education, Jewish community building through Hillel, interfaith efforts, and a range of other Jewish organizations.
Assistant Rabbi
Rabbi Dana A. Benson
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Rabbi Dana A. Benson is a strong believer in spiritual accessibility and seeks to help learners find value from our tradition even in every day moments. She has been described as a compassionate and inspirational teacher, thoughtful leader, and someone who brings light and fun everywhere she goes. In her role, she connects with students and their families to discover and implement engaging educational opportunities and supports teachers, lay leaders, and parents in their roles of creating the next generation of kind, thoughtful, and socially aware Jewish adults.
Rabbi Benson previously served as the Assistant Director at Hillel at the University of Washington in Seattle and as the Senior Jewish Educator at Michigan State University Hillel and the Hillel Campus alliance of Michigan. During Rabbinical school at Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in Cincinnati, Ohio, Rabbi Benson served as a teacher and lead staff member at Kulanu, a Reform Jewish High School, and also ran retreats for high school and college students in her role as a Rabbinic intern at HUC-JIR's national office of recruitment and admissions. When not crafting curriculum and connecting to students and their families, Rabbi Benson loves to sing, play board games, enjoy musical theater and opera, and watch her partner, Gina, play roller derby for Rat City Roller Derby.
PROFESSIONAL TEAM
Executive Director
Davida Sims
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Davida has worked in nonprofit development, education leadership, and communications for fifteen years. After working as a labor and employment attorney and for public radio, she followed her passion for education by working in K-12 leadership and school advancement.
Davida has published articles in the area of Jewish education, advancement, leadership, and education reform, she was co-creator of the Nevada Independent School Association, and she co-authored four business books in the areas of marketing and strategic communications. She has taught high school law courses and was a Judge Pro Tem for Clark County's Truancy Diversion and High School Graduation Initiative Program. She received her Bachelor of Arts in History from University of Washington and her Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law.
Although a Los Angeles native, Davida moved with her family to Bainbridge Island as a teenager and has recently returned to Seattle after 14 years in Nevada. She is the proud mother of two teenage boys and is grateful to be part of the warm and welcoming Temple Beth Am community.
Advancement Manager
Sam Rosen
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Sam Rosen and her husband, Don Taylor, joined Temple Beth Am in 2010 with their two teenage daughters Campbell and Sage. Both girls attended Religious School after becoming B’nai Mitzvah. Sam has been the co-chair of the Beth Am Parent Association (BAPA), served on the Religious School board, and, most recently, co-chaired the Religious School Director Search Committee. Sam is a recovering hi-tech program manager, who, prior to joining the Temple Beth Am team studied Biotechnology in her spare time. She is originally from Long Island, NY but moved to the west coast in 1989 in pursuit of work with dolphins and/or work in television. Having achieved both of those goals – including stints as a dolphin trainer and a project manager on “Bill Nye the Science Guy” – she settled into Seattle’s booming tech industry. Sam is a soccer player, animal lover, and relishes her annual pilgrimage to see Dave Matthews at the Gorge every Labor Day weekend.
Financial Database Manager
Megan Freeman
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Megan Freeman manages all billing and accounts payable for Temple Beth Am and SEED. Megan is a graduate of the University of Washington with a B.A. in history and served two terms in AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps. She has spent the last nine years working in nonprofit administration, most recently the Pike Market Childcare and Preschool. She keeps moving away to Southern California but is drawn back each time to the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Outside of work, Megan is a baker, crafter, and sings with the Seattle Women’s Chorus.
Youth Learning and Engagement Manager
Reyna Abraham
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Reyna Abraham has a passion for Jewish Education and experiential engagement and firmly believes that Jewish identity and community connection is the heart of any educational program. With ten years of experience in Jewish Education both in the classroom and in a leadership role, Reyna’s focus has been in administration, Jewish learning curriculum, and program development. Her primary passion is creating learning opportunities that are fun, inclusive, and accessible. She has helped develop Religious Education and Experiential Learning programs, Summer Camp programs, and truly enjoys facilitating opportunities for families to come together.
Reyna is a native Californian who has spent the last decade in Southern California and is very happy to find a home now in the Pacific Northwest where she and her husband Justin are looking forward to exploring Seattle with their two young children. When not immersing herself in the Jewish Educational world, Reyna enjoys spending her time hiking, reading, knitting, and cooking.
Choir Director
Taryn Webber
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Taryn Webber has been a member of the Temple Beth Am Choir since 2000. She has studied classical cello, voice, pipe organ, steel drums (Trinidad), and the cajon (from the Afro-Peruvian tradition). Since she first moved to Seattle from the East Coast in 1997, she has taught orchestra/choir at Washington Middle School (Seattle), general music at B.F. Day Elementary School (Seattle), and orchestra at Einstein Middle School (Shoreline). Taryn is currently the Assistant Music Director at Holy Names Academy (Seattle) where she teaches orchestra, chamber music, and music production (recording) classes. She also conducts one of the orchestras (the Sinfonette) in the Cascade Youth Symphony Orchestra organization in Edmonds. When she isn’t teaching or hanging out with her family, Taryn loves being a part of many recording and live music projects, both on cello and voice.
To learn about Temple Beth Am's new organizational structure, click here. To read the FAQ's about our staff redesign, click here.
