Our Staff & Leadership
RABBI PAMELA JAY GOTTFRIED
Pamela Jay Gottfried (she/her) is honored to serve as the rabbi at Congregation Beth Tikvah. Believing the essential meaning of rabbi is “teacher,” she strives in her rabbinate to help individual students of all ages reach their potential.
Since receiving rabbinic ordination and earning an M.A. in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, Rabbi Gottfried has taught in churches, colleges, community centers, mosques, retreat centers, schools, summer camps, and synagogues. A lifelong learner, she became a student of ceramics as an adult, and taught both ceramics and Judaics at Camp Ramah Darom. As an artist, she often incorporates creative expression and message-driven art in her teaching of teens and adults.
Rabbi Gottfried is deeply committed to community engagement. In her first year as CBT’s rabbi, she participated in the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey’s Combinator and worked in partnership with the Tri-County Board of Jewish Clergy, the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) and the Medford Fellowship of Religious Leaders to strengthen relationships among local faith communities. She is an active member of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association (RRA) and the Interim Ministry Network (IMN), and regular participant in their professional development courses.
A strong proponent of pluralism and innovation, Rabbi Gottfried is a board member and member of the Publishing Team of Bayit, a collaborative community of liturgists, artists, game designers, and educators creating tools for Jewish life in the 21st century. She is also an alumna of Clal’s Rabbis Without Borders and LEAP fellowships, and blogs for The Wisdom Daily, their online outlet for political, cultural, and spiritual commentary.
Rabbi Gottfried is the author of Found in Translation: Common Words of Uncommon Wisdom, and is currently working on a collection of creative nonfiction, My Manicure & Other Musings, about her experiences as a parent and rabbi. In addition to participating in Daf Yomi and attending Spiritual Poetry Writing classes, she spends her free time solving The New York Times crossword puzzles, playing Scrabble with her spouse, David, and taking walks with their faithful canine companion, Henry.
Gary Gans, Rabbi Emeritus
Gary Gans, Rabbi Emeritus since August 2016, first came to Congregation Beth Tikvah as our full-time rabbi in 1981, when the synagogue was a ranch house surrounded by corn fields in rural Marlton.
Rabbi Gans received a B.A. from Rutgers University and holds a master’s degree in psycho-educational processes from Temple University. A graduate student at Hebrew University in Jerusalem for two years, he also attended Gratz Hebrew College in Philadelphia to obtain certifications and licenses as a teacher and principal.
Committed to life-long study, Rabbi Gans earned a Doctor of Ministry degree in counseling from the Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary and has been awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC), where he was ordained in 1979.
He participated in a post doctorate program in family therapy at Penn Council for Relationships at the University of Pennsylvania. He is board certified as a clinical member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of New Jersey specializing in family therapy.
He currently serves as a chaplain with the Evesham police department and is a cruise ship rabbi. He is a past president of the Tri-County Board of Rabbis.
Rabbi Gans married Rabbi Ilene Schneider while they were both students at RRC. They are the second longest married rabbinic couple in the U.S. and the third longest married in the world. They have two adult sons, Natan and Ari. Rabbi Schneider has written several rabbinic murder mysteries and is also the former director of Jewish hospice for Samaritan Hospice in Marlton.
Rabbi Gans is an amateur radio operator (kosher HAM!) with the call sign N2EEF. He is also deeply interested in genealogy and has led many seminars on the topic in the U.S. and Israel.
Joseph Lebovic, Cantor
Since 1986, congregants at Congregation Beth Tikvah have enjoyed the strong and melodious voice of Cantor Joseph Lebovic.
Born in the Czech Republic to Cantor David and Mina Lebovic, CBT’s cantor is the youngest of a three-generation cantorial legacy. His grandfather, Joseph, shared his love of Judaism and music with his son David, who in turn inspired his son, our own Cantor Joseph Lebovic.
He earned a B.S. in psychology from Temple University and studied music theory and voice development at the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia. He graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry and worked in a cantorial position at Beth Jacob-Beth Israel, formerly of Merchantville, before joining Rabbi Gans on the bimah.
Cantor Lebovic participates in local Jewish choirs in South Jersey, including his stint as a guest soloist for the South Jersey Chorus (a secular choir with 60 singers), for Temple Beth Sholom and for the choir of the Board of Cantors of Greater Philadelphia.
Cantor Lebovic married Sophie Klein, who became one of CBT’s most popular Hebrew school teachers until she retired. Together they raised three children: Yael, Miryam and Avi, and they greatly enjoy their beloved grandchildren: Nathan and Raya, Layna and Owen, and Dalia and Jonah.
SUSAN STURTZ, Education Director
Susan is a passionate and dedicated educator who grew up at Congregation Beth Tikvah. With many years of experience fostering a love of learning, she has taught students of all ages – from preschoolers to high schoolers. Before stepping into her role as CBT’s Education Director, Susan taught kindergarten and music for TLC, and she currently serves as a preschool teacher at Kellman Brown Academy in Voorhees. Her career also includes teaching positions at Temple Beth Sholom, Evesham Township School District, and Lenape Regional High School District, among others.
In addition to her work during the school year, Susan spends her summers at the JCC Camps at Medford, where she is the Assistant Director of Camp Hilltop. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary and Special Education and an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education.
Marie DeBow, Administrator
Marie DeBow joined the staff at CBT in 2022, taking on the role as administrator. Marie has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Drexel University and continuing her education.
Prior to joining CBT, she worked as an Office Manager for a synagogue in Delaware County, PA for 5+ years. She organized community events such as blood and food drives. Her responsibilities included Bar/Bat Mitzvah planning, marketing and working with the community to plan fundraising events.
She is a proud mother of 3 and resides in South Jersey. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga and volunteering.
Lynne Weinstein, Office Manager
Lynne Natal Weinstein has been Congregation Beth Tikvah’s office manager for over a decade.
Raised in Camden, she grew up four doors away from Congregation Beth El, a synagogue founded by her grandparents and several other congregants. She attended Beth El from kindergarten through Confirmation and continued her Jewish education in the first class of the community-sponsored junior college, known as Midrashah. She launched her Hebrew teaching career when she was a high school senior.
In addition to her office manager responsibilities at CBT, Lynne teaches the Mechinah class and loves having a relationship with the congregation’s students. Seeing the smiles and looks of achievement on their faces as they share her love of Judaism keeps her going. “CBT is exactly the way Beth El was when I was growing up…a small, caring community that joins together as a family supporting each other through thick and thin.”
Lynne loves the spirit and excitement that one feels upon entering the building and feels privileged to work with the rabbis and staff.
Lynne raised four children and has seven grandchildren, two of whom attend CBT.
Congregation Leadership
President
Marissa Whitmore
Finance Vice President
Janet Rand
Executive Vice President
Valerie Gladfelter
Vice Presidents at Large
Max Brandy
Sylvia Jacobs
Fran Rosenfeld
Comptroller
David Blask
Secretary
Joel Mosko
Roberta Braverman
Lindsay Freedman
Committee Chairs
Adult Education:
Roberta Braverman
Endowment:
Vacant
Finance:
Dennis Meyerson
Funds Development:
Danielle Margulis
Building, Technology & Security:
Paul Fau
Library:
David Gladfelter
Membership:
Bobbi LeVine
Publicity:
Leslie Blau Berlin
Ritual:
Jim Green
School:
Eileen Brandy
Social Action:
Ken Berlin
Past Presidents
Allyson Bernstein
Nancy Horowitz
Sylvia Jacobs
Rachel Kreimer
Norman Levithan z”l
Arlene Lewis
Michael Lewis
Donna Snyder
Dr. Mark Waltzer