Meet Our Rabbi & Leaders
Rabbi Bruce L. Cohen
It seems to us our rabbi was virtually hand-carved to fit Manhattan. Rabbi Bruce is a highly educated and broadly experienced American and Israeli Messianic Jewish leader who interacts easily and naturally with Manhattan’s and Jerusalem’s unique communities. A high achiever in a city of high achievers, our rabbi is conversant in many languages — English, Hebrew, French, German and Sign Language of the Deaf, along with some Russian, Arabic, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Middle Egyptian (Hieroglyphic), Farsi others. Also having an elite background in the theater and music worlds (The Messianic Times wrote in 2008 “his music had a significant role in defining the genre we now think of as ‘Messianic’”), and training and experience in literature informing his thirty years of respected front line international Messianic Jewish teaching and worship ministry – Rabbi Bruce is an ideal voice for Messianic faith in Manhattan.
Rabbi Cohen’s Ministries Beyond Beth El
Leadership
Beth El is blessed to have three separate layers of leadership in its structure.
1. RABBINATE:
Our rabbi serves as our community’s lead religious official and primary vision-caster, fomenting constructive exchange and development of ideas and practice in our Manhattan community. As eloquently written in “The Leadership Development Guide” for Conservative Judaism – “Authority for religious practice in each congregation resides in its rabbi. It derives from the rabbi’s training, and by the fact that the community has chosen that rabbi to be its religious guide.” Our current rabbi is Bruce L. Cohen.
2. OUR “VA’AD” (LEADERSHIP BOARD):
This is a group composed of gabbai’im (pulpit officiants), z’keneem (elders), and s’ganim (assistants or deacons). These are members of Beth El, raised up from within the synagogue as leaders according to the Two-Testament model (Exodus 18:21-22 and 1Timothy 3). Our present Va’ad is:
Elders: Rabbi Bruce & Rebbetzin Debra Cohen
Deacons: Elizabeth Brunson, Iain & April Bryden, Kevin & Roni Kersey
Gabbais: Randy Gruenberg & Kevin Kersey
3. OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES:
In accord with New York State Religious Corporations Law Article 9, the Trustee Board is composed of a majority of non-ordained laity, intended to offer various kinds of expertise and added accountability to the operation of the synagogue. Our present Trustees are:
Rabbi Bruce Cohen, Rebbetzin Debra Cohen, Randy Gruenberg, Dr. Tammy Gruenberg MD, Brian Gottbetter, Joyce Gottbetter.
SAFETY & ACCOUNTABILITY NOTE: Beth El of Manhattan is proud (in the positive sense) to note that in our Constitution and By-Laws, the leaders of our Synagogue and the Members have the exact same rights. If any decision or teaching is able to be proven manifestly anti-Scriptural, unethical, unwise or illegal, the rabbi and leaders are bound by law to conform to the standards of Scripture, prudence and law, or be removed from office. Every Member has the exact same rights to process as any leader, including the Rabbi. Any Member, if concerned the Boards appointed by the Rabbi might not be able to be unbiased in accord with the standards of Scripture (Lev. 19:15, 1Tim. 5:21) may require a suitably balanced ad hoc arbitration board be convened, with both sides to any issue mutually agreeing on its composition. The decision of such a mutually-accepted arbitration authority must be accepted and handled in correct due process by both sides of the matter. These provisions for accountability were written into our By-Laws by our Rabbi, utilizing learned Manhattan legal counsel with broad experience in religious corporations law.
