Our Staff

 

Rabbi, Jim Egolf

Rabbi Jim Egolf came to Beth David Reform Congregation in 2005. He grew up in Monroeville, Alabama, the hometown of Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird. There were no Jews and his public school still included Bible study in the 1970’s. The closest synagogue was in Pensacola, FL, 90 miles away. It was there, and at the URJ Henry S. Jacobs summer camp in Mississippi, that Rabbi Egolf received his Jewish education. "I found my place in the synagogue and the camp."

Rabbi Egolf's Philadelphia experience started at Temple University, where he graduated cum laude in 1989. He then attended the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, where he was ordained in 1995. He also met his future wife, Rebecca, there. Jim earned a Doctorate of Ministry from the Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur Georgia in 2005.

Rabbi Egolf has served synagogues in Mississippi and Texas. Before coming to Beth David, he served at The Temple: Hebrew Benevolent Congregation of Atlanta, Georgia.  His involvement in the community includes the Gladwyne Interfaith Thanksgiving Service and Interfaithways (www.interfaithways.com).  Rabbi Egolf lives in Lower Merion with his wife, Rebecca, and their two sons. 

To hear more from Rabbi Egolf visit his podcast.

Email Rabbi Egolf.

Rabbi Emeritus, Henry Cohen

Henry Cohen was born in 1927 in Houston, Texas, into a family of Reform rabbis. After graduating from the University of Texas, he was ordained at the Hebrew Union College in 1953. He was an army chaplain and served as assistant rabbi in Great Neck, NY, where he met his wife, Edna. They moved to Champaign-Urbana where Henry served a "town and gown" congregation and received a Masters Degree in the Philosophy of Education.

Henry came to Beth David in 1964, where he remained until becoming rabbi emeritus in 1993. He initiated a bi-cultural Black-Jewish nursery school and was chairman of the Jewish Coalition for Peace. In 1974, he was part of a group of interfaith clergy who visited Lebanon, Jordan and Israel. In 1986 he and his wife visited the Soviet Union where they met with refuseniks, Soviet Jewish citizens denied permission to emigrate. Among the refuseniks they met were the parents of Beth David's cantor, Lilia Kazansky. The congregation campaigned for the release of David and Clara, who gained their freedom in 1987. Later, when Beth David moved to Gladwyne, Henry helped to form the Interfaith Hospitality of the Main Line.

He has written several books, including Why Judaism?, What's Special About Judaism? and a biography of his grandfather, Kindler of Souls: Rabbi Henry Cohen of Texas. His most recent work is Charley Braunstein and Jewish Tradition, which teaches Jewish themes using characters that are a take-off of the Charles Schultz's Charlie Brown cartoons.

Rabbi Cohen and Edna have been married for more than 50 years. They have two daughters, Shelly and Lisa, and a granddaughter, Tali.

Lilia Kazansky, Cantor

Lilia Kazansky has graced Beth David Congregation with her beautiful voice since 1984. In 2009 she celebrated 25 years with the congregation.

In 1978, Lilia emigrated from the Former Soviet Union with her husband, Boris, and daughter, Miriam. In the Former Soviet Union, she received a masters degree in voice and concert piano, from the Moscow State Conservatory. In 1985 she graduated with a degree from the Hebrew Union College in New York. And, in 2010, she earned an honorary doctorate from HUC.

From her childhood, Lilia always had a special place in her heart for Jewish culture and music. As she says, "It came through the blood" from her Grandfather, who was a professional Cantor in the Ukraine. Lilia, together with her husband Boris, have performed classical repertoire, as well as folk and sacred music, in different cities of the U.S, Europe, and Russia.

Lilia's younger daughter, Rebecca, graduated from Vassar and works as a multi-media artist,. Miriam is a practicing psychologist and lives with her husband, Robert, in New Jersey. Boris and Lilia enjoy being the grandparents of their sons, Jordan and Noah.

Susan Levey, Temple Educator

Susan Levey brings tremendous dedication and professionalism to her role as Beth David's Temple Educator. Her title reflects her charge to offer education to Beth David's adults as well as our preschool, Lower School, and Upper School students. Susan came to Beth David in 1992 and is the Senior Educator on the Main Line. Prior to Beth David, Susan worked as the Assistant Director at Congregation Rodeph Shalom working both the Center City and the Elkins Park Campuses.

From High School through Graduate School, Susan taught Religious School in Ohio, Illinois and Missouri before moving to Philadelphia. She was voted Teacher of the Year several times. Susan blended counseling and Jewish education as her joint career goals as she worked in the Philadelphia Jewish community before joining Beth David. She has also written many curriculum strands and faculty guides, including the innovative "Educator in Residence" and "ALS — Parents As Learners System" programs. Her overall core values view Jewish education as the vital and crucial link to connecting families and congregation.

In her spare time, she takes courses in education, as she is dedicated to a quest for knowledge. She enjoys yoga and photography, her two grown daughters, Tania and Rebeccah, and her five young granddaughters.

Susan is a member of National Association of Temple Educators, Association for Curriculum Development, and served as an Interfaith Chaplain for many years at Abington Hospital.

Jill Cooper, Executive Director

Executive Director,  Jill Cooper, comes to us with 20 years of Jewish communal experience. She graduated from Temple University in the early 1980's with a degree in Elementary Education. After her son, Marc, was born in 1986, Jill preferred the shorter, less stringent hours of a preschool teacher and applied for a teaching position at the same preschool her son would be attending. It was here, at Shir Ami, Bucks County Jewish Congregation, that Jill was bitten by the Jewish professional bug.

Over the next 18 years Jill had the pleasure of serving on the Shir Ami Board of Directors as chair of the Preschool Committee and the Religious School Committee, and being employed part time as a Religious School teacher, the Assistant Youth Advisor, and working in the main office as acting Program Director.

"Growing up I didn't have much of a formal Jewish education, so consequently I never knew what I was missing...until I saw how awesome it was to teach it! During my first year I was a chapter ahead of my students, but then I began to embrace my Judaism. I read everything I could get my hands on, attended services, and mostly became a self taught Jew. Then in 2005, I'm proud to say I became an adult Bat Mitzvah. I invited every student I had ever taught, and on the invitation it said, 'the teacher now becomes the student.' So many of them came; it was very moving for me, my mom, and my son."

Jill also brings to Beth David her business experience. In 1999 she opened and ran her own in-home direct marketing company, Legal Marketing Enterprises. She was fond of saying, "The business pays the bills, but it's my part time work in the Jewish world that keeps me going." So, in 2007 Jill decided to pursue her love of Judaism and become employed full time as a Jewish professional. Jill proudly joined the Beth David professional staff in April of 2007.

Ronit Leboff, Administrative Assistant, Junior Youth Advisor

Ronit recently graduated with a B.A. in Accounting from Temple University's Fox School of Business in May 2008. She has aspirations of becoming a Temple Administrator just as her mother is and grandfather was. Her Jewish background stems from her education at Shir Ami Bucks County Jewish Congregation, where she was fortunate enough to have Beth David's own Jill Cooper as a Religious School teacher.

Ronit was President of her youth group in 2003/2004, as well as an active member of NFTY-PAR in her high school years. She continues to stay involved in NFTY-PAR as a staff member. Ronit joined the Beth David team in July 2008, and hopes to learn and grow for many more years with the congregation.

Elizabeth (Betty) Trolley, Book Keeper

For 34 years, Betty worked tirelessly as the bookkeeper for the Lower Merion School District. In 2006 she retired and we were lucky enough to grab her up. She is married to Tom, a retired Narberth Police Officer. She has three children.

Charles Copeland, Chief Maintenance

Originally from Virginia, Charles spent his childhood summers in Philadelphia visiting family and working. At school he enjoyed math and often received honorable mention at science and math fairs. He attended Norfolk State University, then moved permanently to Philadelphia in 1980. Charles has worked at Beth David for more than 20 years.

He is married to Cheryl, his wife of more than 25 years. He is the father of Cyra and Charles, Jr., father-in-law of Nicole, grandfather of Phoenix and Alicia, brother of Roland, Margo, and Patricia; and, with Cheryl, the proud owner of a 14-year-old Staffordshire terrier called Chocolate.

Charles enjoys fishing, watching and participating in many types of athletics, and traveling to California and Georgia to visit his grandchildren.