:: Bios

 

Rabbi Bruce Lustig is senior rabbi at Washington Hebrew Congregation. Along with the daily responsibilities of leading a 3,000 member congregation, he has shown community involvement in the Jewish Council for the Aging, the Executive Board of Israel Bonds of the Greater Washington Area, the UAHC Rabbinic Network on Youth Suicide, the Mayors Faith Advisory Board, the National Liaison for National Day of Prayer, and the Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society, District of Columbia Division. He is a pro-active leader of Washington’s Interfaith Community and organized the nation’s first Abrahamic Summit bringing together Christians, Jews and Muslims for dialogue.

Rabbi Lustig received a Bachelor of Arts degree (with honors) from the University of Tennessee. He holds a Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters and was ordained at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.

Rabbi Joui Hessel is currently serving Washington Hebrew Congregation as an associate rabbi. At the congregation, Rabbi Hessel works in a variety of capacities, including youth programming, adult education, life cycle events, counseling, pastoral care and much more.

Rabbi Hessel was ordained from the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in New York, NY in May of 2001. While in Rabbinical School, she served several congregations, including Shaaray Tefilah in New York City’s Upper East Side and Temple Sinai in Glendale, California. In addition, she served as the Education Intern at Leo Baeck Temple in Los Angeles, California, and the Rabbinic Intern at the UAHC (the Reform Movement’s central office) in New York City.

Rabbi Hessel received a Masters Degree in Education from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1999. She received her Bachelors Degree in Secondary School Education from The University of Georgia in 1995.

Rabbi Hessel has co-authored The Hanukkah Family Treasury, published by Running Hill Press. She has also been published in a book on parenting young adult children, Mom, Can I Move Back in with You: A Survival Guide for Parents of Twentysomethings, published by Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium. Rabbi Hessel has also offered the opening prayer at the United States House of Representatives. She serves on the Greater Washington Federation’s Professional Advisory Board to the Outreach Commission in the Metro-DC area, the CCAR Youth Committee, the CCAR Task Force on Addiction and the Union for Reform Judaism’s Biennial SPARKS Programming Committee. Rabbi Hessel is a STAR PEER rabbinic fellow, a program supported by the Schusterman Foundation.

Rabbi Susan Shankman is an Associate Rabbi at Washington Hebrew Congregation. Along with officiation at services, life cycle events and pastoral care and counseling, Rabbi Shankman also focuses on adult education, youth programming, social action, outreach and programming for young families, and Sisterhood.

Rabbi Shankman was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 2001. As a rabbinical student at HUC-JIR in Cincinnati, Rabbi Shankman served student pulpits in Valparaiso, Indiana and Columbus, Mississippi, providing their sole rabbinic support. She worked as an intern in the Youth Programs Department of HUC-JIR and was also an intern in the Outreach Department of HUC-JIR. Upon ordination, Rabbi Shankman received the Ferdinand M. Isserman Prize, an award recognizing her contributions toward the development of community relations.

Rabbi Shankman received a Master’s Degree in Religion from the University of Chicago Divinity School in 1992. She graduated from Dartmouth College in 1991, having majored in History and Religion.  Prior to rabbinical school, Rabbi Shankman was Regional Director to NFTY-Long Island, and Assistant Director of URJ Eisner Camp.

Rabbi Shankman is co-chair of the Outreach and Membership Committee of the URJ Mid-Atlantic Region. She is a regional rabbinic advisor to NFTY-MAR and Vice President of the Mid-Atlantic Region of the CCAR. She serves on the Board of the Dartmouth College Hillel, and the Israel Quest committee of the Partnership for Jewish Life & Learning. Rabbi Shankman is a member of the National Alliance Advisory Board of Jewish Women International, and was honored with the Community Leadership Award at JWI's Women to Watch luncheon in 2006.

Rabbi Shankman is married to Rabbi Michael Namath, Program Director at the Religious Center of Reform Judaism, and they are the proud parents of Isabel, Jacob, and Evie.

Cantor Mikhail Manevich was born in Leningrad, USSR.  He received a degree in choral conducting from Leningrad State Conservatory of Music in 1975.After immigrating to the United States he studied and graduated from Hebrew Union College-School of Sacred Music. Cantor Manevich was appointed Cantor with Washington Hebrew Congregation in 1989.During his tenure with the Congregation, Cantor Manevich has performed at all of the major halls of the City-Kennedy Center, Constitution Hall and National Cathedral. His voice can be heard on six recordings.

Susan Bortnick is the Associate Cantor of Washington Hebrew Congregation in Washington, D.C. A graduate of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion's School of Sacred Music, she served congregations in Arnold, Maryland and Ft. Worth, Texas as a student cantor before coming to Washington Hebrew Congregation in 2001.

Inspired by Cantor Robert Gerber, Cantor Sharon Kohn, and Rabbi Liza Stern, Cantor Bortnick enrolled in the School of Sacred Music after receiving a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Texas, Austin. The first cantor from Amarillo, Texas, Cantor Bortnick is a member of the American Conference of Cantors (Reform) and The Cantors Assembly (Conservative).

In addition to regularly sharing the bima with Washington Hebrew’s Cantor Mikhail Manevich, she has performed with the various talents that Washington Hebrew Congregation has hosted over the years, including Marvin Hamlisch, Ken Kanter, Hershey Felder, Tova Feldshuh, Itzhak Perlman, Ken Ludwig, Michael Feinstein and Lainie Kazan. Cantor Bortnick has recorded a CD of duets with Cantor Manevich titled, Together. She currently lives in Takoma Park with her husband David, their daughter, Naomi and dog, Serena.

Steven Jacober joined WHC as executive director in July, 2007. He brings extensive experience in leading both non-profit organizations and for-profit companies to the Temple. For the past twelve years Steve was president of the School, Home, and Office Products Association, based in Dayton, OH.  Prior to that, he was president of a trade magazine publishing company, having served as publisher, editor, and research director at various stages in his tenure. He also worked at several New York City-based advertising agencies. Steve is a graduate of Providence College and holds a Master of Arts and Master of Philosophy degrees in Hebrew Bible from Columbia University.

Phyllis Shankman is completing her second year as Director of Early Childhood and Primary Education of Washington Hebrew Congregation. She oversees a staff of approximately 100 teachers and administrators and over 500 children.

She holds a Master of Science in Early Childhood Education from the College of New Rochelle and a Bachelor of Arts from Hunter College . Mrs. Shankman has been in the field of early childhood education for over 38 years both as a teacher and as a director of schools.

She is married and has three daughters and two grandchildren.