BZBI, where you belong

Clergy

    Rabbinic Search Weekends

    What to Expect Each Weekend
    Each weekend will include the following opportunities to observe and interact with our rabbi candidates:

    Friday, January 30
    6:00 PM – Kabbalat Shabbat in person & on Zoom 
    7:15 PM – Community Dinner
    8:30 PM – Conversation with the Rabbi 

    Saturday, January 31
    9:30 AM – Shabbat Services in person & on Zoom 
    12:15 PM – Special Congregational Kiddush 
    1:00 PM – Shabbat Learning with the Rabbi 

    Sunday, February 1
    9:00 AM – Morning Minyan in person & on Zoom 
    9:45 AM – Community Q&A in person & on Zoom with the Rabbi 
    1:30 PM – Candidate Weekend Survey Released

    Zoom Access 

    Zoom is available for Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat services, Saturday morning Shabbat services, and Sunday morning Minyan (plus the Q&A that follows) – Click HERE to join via Zoom. The passcode is BethZion.

    Questions can be directed to search@bzbi.org

    Weekend 1

    Rabbi Salomon Gruenwald
    Friday–Sunday, January 9-11

    Rabbi Salomon Gruenwald is an experienced and compassionate spiritual leader who brings warmth, creativity, and depth to his rabbinate. For 16 years, he served Congregation HEA in Denver, Colorado, where he led vibrant prayer, innovative programs for youth and families, and a strong culture of inclusion and pluralism. He currently serves as Interim Jewish and Interfaith Chaplain at the Claremont Colleges in Southern California, working with students exploring identity, spirituality, and belonging across diverse identities and backgrounds. Salomon is drawn to BZBI because of its deep history, creative spirit, and urban energy. He believes that Jewish values and American democratic ideals belong in conversation with one another, especially in a city like Philadelphia, so central to both stories. His rabbinic work reflects that commitment: building a sacred community that is welcoming, intellectually alive, and deeply engaged with the world. He and his wife Melanie, a Jewish nonprofit leader, are proud parents of teenage twins, Hannah and Micah, and honor the memory of their son Koby.

    Rewatch Rabbi Gruenwald’s sermon.

    Watch the Community Q&A

     

    Weekend 2

    Rabbi Andrew Markowitz
    Friday–Sunday, January 23-25 

    A Philadelphian through and through, Rabbi Andrew Markowitz grew up in the Castor Gardens section of Northeast Philadelphia, attended Akiba Hebrew Academy, and graduated with distinction from Temple University. He received his rabbinic ordination and a Master’s degree in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2017. Following ordination, Rabbi Markowitz served as Associate Rabbi and Director of Spiritual Programming at Beit T’Shuvah in Los Angeles—an inpatient Jewish addiction treatment center and synagogue that integrates best practices of the recovery world with Jewish spirituality. Most recently, Rabbi Markowitz has had the privilege of serving Temple Adath Israel of the Main Line for the past seven years.  During his tenure, he has overseen a 50% increase in Hebrew school enrollment, sparked a resurgence in young family affiliation and engagement, and infused the community with a palpable sense of joy, awe, and mutual respect. He brings menschlichkeit, humor, and scholarship to every element of his work in an effort to foster deeper and more authentic connections to self, community, and God.
    Rabbi Markowitz is deeply involved in the Rabbinical Assembly at both the local and international levels. He serves as Chair of the RA’s Derekh Eretz Committee, as Philadelphia Regional Chair, and is honored to Chair the upcoming 2026 Rabbinical Assembly Convention in Philadelphia. He finds particular meaning in cultivating thoughtful, supportive spaces for colleagues, mentors, and friends in the rabbinate. An inspiring educator, Rabbi Markowitz spent more than fifteen summers learning, teaching, and growing at Camp Ramah in the Poconos. His experiences there profoundly shaped his understanding of how environment and relationships foster transformative Jewish experiences. It was also at Ramah that he began dating his incredible wife, Michelle, in 2007 and the two were married in 2012. Rabbi Markowitz lives in Merion Station with Michelle and their sons, Simcha Ariel and Sasson Rafael.

    Weekend 3

    Rabbi Annie Lewis
    Friday–Sunday, January 30-February 1 

    Rabbi Annie Lewis (she/her) is a teacher of heart-centered Torah, skilled spiritual caregiver, poet, singer, and energetic organizational and civic leader. Rabbi Lewis is passionate about weaving relationships and growing communities of belonging. She has led vibrant congregations as Senior Rabbi of Shaare Torah in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Associate Rabbi of our beloved BZBI community, and Assistant Rabbi of Germantown Jewish Centre. During her time in Philadelphia, Rabbi Lewis served as a president of the Board of Rabbis and trained in couples and family therapy at the Council for Relationships. In her current role as Director of Admissions for Religious and Educational Leadership and Assistant Dean of the Rabbinical School of JTS, she delights in supporting people as they grow Jewishly and connect to their purpose. She is a proud alumna of Camp Ramah in the Poconos, Brown University, the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem, and JTS, where she was a Wexner Graduate Fellow. Recognized for her thought leadership in the Jewish community, Rabbi Lewis is a Senior Rabbinic Fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. Rabbi Lewis lives in Brooklyn with her partner, Rabbi Yosef Goldman, and their children, Zohar Lieba (10) and Shir Emet (7). She finds joy in walking in cities, eating soft pretzels with mustard, and playing in the ocean. She is thrilled to be reconnecting with the BZBI community to pray, learn, and dream together!

    Our Clergy at BZBI

    Rabbi Kenneth A. Stern, Interim Rabbi

    215-735-5148 | email

    Rabbi Kenneth A. Stern, a first-generation American, is a graduate of Bronx High School of Science. While his family‘s congregational Hebrew School provided him with strong synagogue skills, he sought a more rigorous Jewish education. This led him to enroll in the dual-degree program at Columbia University and The Jewish Theological Seminary. Initially planning to take a few Jewish studies courses, his passion for Judaism deepened, and he fully committed to the rabbinate. Stern received his rabbinical ordination in 1981, the same year he married Suzanne (Suzi) Rose, who was entering medical school at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). At Park Synagogue in Cleveland Heights he found his true calling: connecting with people—helping congregants navigate religious life, teaching children, guiding them in times of joy and sorrow, and fostering a sense of community. To enhance his counseling skills, he earned a certificate in pastoral care from CWRU.

    A hallmark of Stern’s rabbinate has been expanding synagogue programming. At Park Synagogue, he launched numerous social and religious initiatives, established a five-year Hebrew High School program, and significantly grew Camp Ramah participation from two to over 30 campers. At Beth El Congregation of the South Hills in Pittsburgh, he encouraged the congregation to “think big“, leading a major facility expansion and developing a cohort of “shul kids” proficient in Shabbat services and Torah reading. As Rabbinic Consortium President, he strengthened ties with communal organizations and guided the community through the aftermath of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination.

    At Park Avenue Synagogue, he helped transform a large, formal congregation into a more welcoming, family-centered community, spearheading a successful Family Education program and fostering a cohesive clergy team. At Congregation Gesher Shalom JCC of Fort Lee, he guided two merger votes, seamlessly integrating members while strengthening advocacy for Israel, leading delegations to the annual Policy Conference, and engaging in critical discussions on Israeli policy. On receiving an honorary doctorate from the Jewish Theological Seminary, his citation praised him for making “a lasting spiritual and emotional impact, always going the extra mile for his congregants.” Stern and Rose are proud parents of two and grandparents of three.

    Their children maintain kosher homes, and all are (or will be) Ramahniks and Day School-educated. Stern loves reading, walking fast (like a New Yorker), schmoozing, and Caribbean vacations. He and Suzi reside in Center City, where they are members of BZBI.

    Rabbi Abi Weber, Associate Rabbi

    215-735-5148 | email

    Rabbi Abi Weber was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in May 2021, where she also completed a master’s degree in Bible. She came to BZBI after serving as the Slifka-Nadich Rabbinic Intern at the Center for Jewish Life of Princeton University, where she built a new community of Jewish seekers among young faculty, staff, and postdoctoral fellows. In her previous role as a Rabbinic Fellow at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in New York City, Abi developed programming around prayer and spirituality, facilitated the 20s/30s group, and participated in the clergy team.

    Rabbi Abi was born in Havertown, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Evanston, Illinois. She graduated from Pomona College in 2011 with a degree in anthropology. Before starting rabbinical school, she worked as an Employment Preparation Trainer for people experiencing homelessness and poverty, served as a Leadership Fellow at Mishkan Chicago, and spent time working in the ski industry in Colorado. Rabbi Abi is a proud alum of Camp Ramah in the Poconos, Avodah: The Jewish Service Corps, SVARA: The Traditionally Radical Yeshiva, and Moishe House Chicago. She lives in Center City with her wife Diana and their adorable daughters, Yara and Raz.

    Rabbi Ira F. Stone, Rabbi Emeritus

    215-735-5148 | email

    Ira F. Stone served as Rabbi of Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel in center city Philadelphia from 1988 to 2015, at which time he became Rabbi Emeritus.

    Before coming to Philadelphia he served as spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Shalom in Seattle, Washington for nine years.  Rabbi Stone is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara where he received a BA in Religious Studies.  He attended the University of Judaism in Los Angeles and graduated from The Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 1979 with a Masters of Hebrew Literature and was ordained as a rabbi at that time.  Prior to attending rabbinical school, Rabbi Stone worked for the Jewish Family Service of Long Island as an outreach worker in crisis intervention with drug abusing Jewish youth and also developed and implemented a pioneer project for brain injured children with emphasis on integrating them into a total day camp and winter recreational program at the YM/YWHA.

    Ira Stone’s poetry has appeared in various journals and he is the author of two volumes of poetry: “The Really Perfect Poem Has An Infinitely Small Vocabulary” (Mellon Press) and “Sketches For A Book of Psalms (Xlibris.)

    He served as the Daniel Jeremy Silver Fellow at Harvard University for the Spring 2005 semester.

    In addition to his work in the pulpit, Rabbi Stone has written articles on theology and rabbinics for various journals including Conservative Judaism, Wellspring Journal, Middlebury College Magazine and Kerem.  He also authored “Seeking the Path to Life” which was published in 1992 by Jewish Lights Publishing and “Reading Levinas/Reading Talmud” which was published in 1997 by The Jewish Publication Society.  “A Responsible Life: Mussar As A Spiritual Path,” was published by Aviv Press in the Fall of 2006.  The Jewish Publication Society also published Rabbi Stone’s contemporary commentary on Mordechai Kaplan’s translation of Messilat Yesharim by Rabbi Moshe Hayyim Luzatto.

    Rabbi Stone served as lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at the Jewish Theological Seminary and adjunct and visiting lecturer in Modern Jewish Thought at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College.

    Rabbi Stone is married to Annie and they are the parents of Tamar, Yoshi and Shuli.

     

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