Our Clergy and Senior Staff
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Peter J. Rubinstein
Senior Rabbi
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Rabbi Rubinstein has been Senior Rabbi of Central Synagogue since 1991. Prior to assuming this position he served as the Rabbi of Peninsula Temple Beth El in San Mateo, California and at Woodlands Community Temple in White Plains, NY. Rabbi Rubinstein received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Amherst College. He received a Master of Hebrew Letters degree with honors and was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) at its New York City campus. He was the Herbert R. Bloch Memorial Fellow at HUC-JIR in Cincinnati, where he specialized in the history of the Jewish community during the second commonwealth.
Rabbi Rubinstein has taught at Manhattanville College, Colgate University, and at HUC-JIR, both in New York and Cincinnati. He is a member of the Rabbinic Board of Overseers of HUC-JIR. In addition to his professional affiliations and responsibilities, Rabbi Rubinstein serves as the rabbinic chairman of the National Commission on Rabbinic-Congregational Relations. He is also the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Auburn Theological Seminary (specializing in continuing education), and on the Boards of UJA-Federation of New York, the Partnership of Faith, the Rabbinic Cabinet of UJA-Federation, Plaza Jewish Community Chapel and the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services. Essays by Rabbi Rubinstein have been included in How Can I Find God (1997), edited by James Martin, and Our Rabbis Taught... (1990).
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Sarah H. Reines
Rabbi
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Rabbi Reines first came to Central Synagogue in 1994 as a rabbinic intern. Three years later she was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and was installed as a rabbi of our congregation. Prior to her rabbinic studies, Rabbi Reines studied at Brandeis University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Master of Arts degree in Jewish Communal Service.
Rabbi Reines is a member of several Jewish organizations, including the Rabbinic Advisory Council for the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, the Central Conference of American Rabbis’ Committee of Interreligious Affairs, and the Union of Reform Judaism’s Commission on Religious Living. She also serves on the board of the Women’s Rabbinic Network and is part of a Rabbinic Mentoring team to rabbinic students and newly ordained rabbis.
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Ruth A. Zlotnick
Associate Rabbi
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Rabbi Ruth A. Zlotnick has served as one of Central Synagogue's rabbis since 2002. She also has served as our Director of Lifelong Learning, but returns to her full-time pulpit responsibilities on July 1, 2007. Previously, she worked as Associate Director of Programs at Synagogue 2000 a national project aimed at revitalizing synagogues from all streams of American Judaism. She has also taught in the New York area, including at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), and Fairfield 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 MasterÕs in the Philosophy of Religion from Yale University and a BachelorÕs degree in religious studies from Wesleyan University.
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Angela Warnick Buchdahl
Cantor
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Angela Warnick Buchdahl was invested as a cantor in 1999 and also ordained as a rabbi in 2001 from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. She is the first Asian-American to be ordained as cantor or rabbi in North America. Cantor Buchdahl received a Wexner Graduate Fellowship for her cantorial studies at HUC-JIR. She earned her B.A. in Religious Studies from Yale University where she was active in religious life on campus and performed frequently with her a capella group.
Prior to her appointment as Cantor at Central Synagogue, Cantor Buchdahl served as Associate Rabbi/Cantor at Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, New York. She has been nationally recognized for her innovations in leading services and has served as faculty for the Wexner Heritage Foundation and for the URJ Kallot programs. Cantor Buchdahl serves on the Board of the Multiracial Jewish Network and regularly teaches and writes on the topic of diversity within the Jewish community.
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Elizabeth Sacks
Assistant Cantor
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Elizabeth Sacks was invested as a cantor in 2007 from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where she was a recipient of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship, as well as awards in Traditional Hazzanut, Talmud, and Midrash. Before coming to Central Synagogue, Cantor Sacks served as a student cantor and educator at a variety of institutions, including the Jewish Community Center of Harrison (Harrison, NY), Reform Congregation Oheb Sholom (Wyomissing, PA) and Machon Hadar (New York, NY). Cantor Sacks grew up in Scarsdale, NY. She received her B.A. in Jewish Studies and Music from Harvard University, where she was also active in Harvard Hillel and music community service programs.
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Livia D. Thompson
F.T.A., Executive Director
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Ms. Thompson, a lawyer by training, worked for many years in the nonprofit sectorÑfirst at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and then at the Lawyers Alliance for New YorkÑbefore joining Central Synagogue as Executive Director in 1993. She is a graduate of Columbia University's School of General Studies and Columbia University Law School. She achieved Senior Status at the Hebrew Union College/National Association of Temple Administrators Institute (HUC/NATA) in 1996 and became a Fellow of Temple Administration in 2006. Ms. Thompson has written numerous articles for the NATA Journal, ADL publications and Lawyers Alliance resource books, and has spoken extensively at various workshops and conventions. She is currently an officer of NATA and serves on numerous NATA committees, was on the Reform Pension Board for six years, and is a member of the CCAR's Finance Committee.
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Gail Shamilov
Director of Finance
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We are delighted to welcome Gail Shamilov as our Finance Director. Gail comes to us from The Institute for Urban Family Health where she served as chief financial officer. Before joining the Institute for Urban Family Health, Gail was a senior investment accounting analyst at Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association. Gail worked a number of years at various public accounting firms. Born in the former Soviet Union, she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Kabardino-Balkarsky State University and received a BBA in Accounting from Bernard Baruch School of Business. She was certified in Public Accountancy in the State of New York.
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Daniel A. Nadelmann
Director of Development
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We are delighted to welcome Daniel A. Nadelmann as our Director of Development. Daniel comes to us from ARZA/World Union for Progressive Judaism where he was the Director of Development. Prior to his tenure at ARZA and the World Union, he was the Executive Director of the Jewish Federation and Jewish Community Center of Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties, New Jersey. He received his B.A. from Harvard University and his M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce. He also holds a Masters Degree in Social Studies Teaching and Curriculum Development. Daniel is looking forward to meeting and working with Central Synagogue’s members and volunteers.
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Yonni Limmer Wattenmaker
R.J.E., Director of Lifelong Learning
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Mrs. Wattenmaker previously served as Director of Education at Temple Shaaray Tefila of Northern Westchester for ten years, overseeing a large Religious School, as well as designing and leading adult education and parenting workshops. In addition, she has mentored religious school teachers and principals, and is a researcher in the field of Jewish parenting and parent education for the URJ Department of Lifelong Learning. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Judaic Studies from The George Washington University and a Master of Arts in Religious Education from Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC - JIR).
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Sara L. Blumstein
Director of Educational Administration
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Ms. Blumstein received her Masters degree in Religious Education from the New York School of Education (NYSOE) at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in May 2003 and her Masters degree in Secondary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, in 1999. Prior to coming to Central Synagogue, she worked as the education intern for the Union for Reform Judaism, Department of Lifelong Jewish Learning and Congregation Rodeph Sholom. She currently serves on the executive committee of the HUC-JIR NYSOE Alumni Association.
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