Our Clergy
Rabbi Daniel Cotzin Burg (ravdaniel@bethambaltimore.org)
Daniel Cotzin Burg has been Rabbi of Beth Am Synagogue since July of 2010. Prior to his position at Beth Am, he served at Anshe Emet Synagogue in Chicago. Ordained by the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles (now American Jewish University), he holds an M.A. in Rabbinic Studies and another in Jewish Education from there and a B.A. in Hebrew Studies and Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin. He spent two academic years studying in Jerusalem.
Rav Daniel is a recipient of the STAR PEER Rabbinic Fellowship and is a contributing author to Celebrating the Jewish Year: The Spring and Summer Holidays. He writes a regular column for the Baltimore Jewish Times, blogs at www.theUrbanRabbi.org and serves on the Housing and Development team of the Reservoir Hill Improvement Council. He is founder of the New Jewish Neighborhood Project of Beth Am Synagogue and has been a vocal supporter of Maryland’s Marriage Equality legislation.
Rabbi Burg lives in the Reservoir Hill neighborhood with his wife Rabbi Miriam Burg and their two children, Eliyah and Shamir.
Cantor Ira Greenstein (cantor.ira@gmail.com)
Cantor Ira Greenstein has served as hazzan, choir leader, and teacher at Beth Am since 2000 and is a commissioned member of the Conservative movement’s Cantor’s Assembly. The Cantor possesses a rich bass-baritone voice, a deep love of Jewish music, and an engaging personality that invites and encourages congregants to participate in the worship service.
Cantor Greenstein previously served congregations in Bethesda and Columbia, Maryland; Augusta, Georgia; and New York City. A native of Long Island, he graduated from the Jewish Theological Seminary’s Prozdor program. In his youth he was a teacher’s aide, choir member, junior congregation leader, and a member of the Camp Ramah staff. He received much of his post-secondary musical training at the University of Maryland, from which Cantor Greenstein earned three secular degrees, including an M.A. in educational administration. He has been a soloist and member of several Maryland choral groups, and he has composed and arranged vocal music for the synagogue and for concert performance.
Cantor Greenstein and his wife Roberta have two adult children: Rabbi Hannah Greenstein (currently living in New York with her husband, Rabbi Moishe Steigmann, son Matan, and daughter Yael.) and Ben, a Baltimore-based business professional.
Our Cantor inherited Beth Am’s musical tradition of Cantor Abba Yosef Weisgal. Weisgal served as hazzan in Beth Am’s building for over 50 years, at the time when it was home to Chizuk Amuno. Weisgal’s melodies, blended with compositions from Sulzer, Lewandowski and other great hazzanim, fill Beth Am’s worship service with a unique spirit. In addition to leading services, Cantor Greenstein teaches in our Religious School program and periodically leads classes for adult learners.
Rabbi Kelley Gludt (educator@bethambaltimore.org)
Rabbi Kelley Gludt joined Beth Am as the synagogue’s first Director of Congregational Learning in January 2012. She spent the previous six years as Assistant Rabbi and Education Director of Tucson, Arizona’s largest Conservative congregation. She received her rabbinic ordination in 2005 from the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and also holds a Master of Arts degree in Rabbinic Studies from the U.J. Born and raised in Southern California, she graduated from California State University of Long Beach with a degree in Journalism. Before pursuing her graduate studies, Rabbi Gludt spent a decade working as an editor for a variety of publications. She has been married for more than 20 years to her high-school sweetheart, Rob, and they welcomed son Romi into their family in 2008.
Rabbi Jon Konheim (jonkonheim@gmail.com)
Rabbi Emeritus Jon Konheim came to Baltimore after nine years as Rabbi at Congregation Agudat Achim in Schenectady, NY. During his tenure in Schenectady the congregation won two Solomon Schechter Awards, the Conservative Movement’s symbol of excellence.
An ordained rabbi for over 30 years, Rabbi Konheim has served in a variety of communities including Duluth, MN; Cleveland, OH; and Paterson, NJ. Rabbi Konheim has also been Director of Jewish Studies for a Jewish day school, prison chaplain, hospital chaplain, college lecturer, ski instructor, and Chaplain for the Paterson, NJ Fire Department which awarded him its Medal of Honor.
Born and raised in New York City, Rabbi Konheim received his BA in Government and International Relations from Carleton College, Northfield, MN. He was then commissioned in the U. S. Navy and served in various capacities in its amphibious forces. Upon release from active duty, Rabbi Konheim enrolled in Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and was ordained in 1972 and received a Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters. He became a member of the Rabbinical Assembly (Conservative) in 1978 and retains a secondary membership in the Central Conference of American Rabbis (Reform). In addition to his earned degrees, Rabbi Konheim holds honorary degrees from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion and from the Jewish Theological Seminary.
In New York’s Capital District, which includes Schenectady, Rabbi Konheim served as Vice President of the Capital District Board of Rabbis, Vice President of the Rabbinical Assembly’s Empire Region, and was active in United Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York committees in the areas of allocations, technology, and chaplaincy. He was a member of the Hebrew Academy of the Capital District Board as well as the board of the Schenectady Jewish Community Center. He enjoys skiing, bicycling, reading, music, and computer repair.
Rabbi Konheim is married to the former Rena Saffren, an interior designer. The Konheims have two adult daughters, Hana and Adina. The Rabbi retired from Beth Am and became Rabbi Emeritus in July 2010.