Each year, B’nai Torah is honored to welcome some of the most inspiring voices in Jewish life for our Scholar-in-Residence Shabbats. These special gatherings bring our community together for learning, prayer, and conversation with renowned rabbis, teachers, and thought leaders.
This season, we are privileged to host Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Rabbi Brad Artson, and Rabbi Dr. Marc Gellman. Over Shabbat, our guests will share their wisdom through dynamic lectures, uplifting sermons, spirited services, and meaningful dialogue. Together, we will explore Jewish ideas that deepen our connection to tradition, strengthen our spiritual lives, and inspire us to live with greater purpose.
2026-2027 B'nai Torah Congregation Scholars-in-Residence
Ted Deutch
Ted Deutch, a lifelong advocate for the Jewish people and Israel, has served as Chief Executive Officer of American Jewish Committee (AJC) since October 2022. Ted served more than 12 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he was a leading bipartisan voice on antisemitism, U.S.–Israel relations, and Middle East policy. He was a founding member of the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, including chair of its Middle East, North Africa, and Global Counterterrorism Subcommittee, and chair of the House Ethics Committee.
Chancellor Mike Uram
Shabbat January 16, 2027
Rabbi Mike Uram is the ninth Chancellor of The Jewish Theological Seminary and a nationally recognized leader in Jewish learning, engagement, and innovation. A JTS-ordained rabbi, he previously held senior leadership roles with Jewish Federations of North America and Pardes North America and spent more than 16 years leading Penn Hillel. Chancellor Uram is the author of Next Generation Judaism, winner of a National Jewish Book Award, and a sought-after speaker and consultant throughout the Jewish community. His work is dedicated to strengthening Jewish life, inspiring meaningful engagement, and creating a vibrant Jewish future for generations to come.
Rabbi Menachem Creditor
Shabbat January 23, 2027
Rabbi Menachem Creditor serves as the Pearl and Ira Meyer Scholar in Residence at UJA Federation of New York and as Senior Lecturer at the Academy for Jewish Religion. An acclaimed author, educator, musician, and activist, he was named by Newsweek as one of the fifty most influential rabbis in America. With millions of views of his videos and essays, his leadership has helped shape national conversations on gun violence prevention, Zionism, interfaith organizing, LGBTQ inclusion, and Jewish diversity. Rabbi Creditor has published more than forty books and six albums of original music, including the widely sung anthem Olam Chesed Yibaneh. He is the founder of Rabbis Against Gun Violence and serves as a clergy coach with Atra: Center for Rabbinic Innovation, supporting rabbis as they navigate their careers and develop their voices. He inspires audiences internationally through presentations that unite Jewish tradition, spiritual imagination, and moral leadership.
Rabbi Rachel Ain
Rabbi Rachel Ain has served as Rabbi of Sutton Place Synagogue, a Conservative congregation in Midtown Manhattan, since 2012. Previously, she served as Senior Director for National Young Leadership at the Jewish Federations of North America and as Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas in Syracuse, NY. Ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2004, Rabbi Ain also served as a commissioned Lieutenant (JG) in the U.S. Navy Chaplains Corps during rabbinical school. She has studied at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, participated in the Clergy Leadership Program at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. She is the author of Watch How You Go: Jewish Wisdom for Your Journey Ahead, which explores family, faith, community responsibility, Israel, and the wisdom she has gained through her years as a rabbi, parent, and student of Jewish tradition.