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Professional Staff

Rabbi Aaron Rubinstein

Rabbi Aaron Rubinstein is our congregation's spiritual leader. The son of an Air Force chaplain, he has lived in communities all over the United States and the world, finally settling in California for his high school years. He received his Bachelor's degree in "Study of Religion" at UCLA in 1981 followed by an M.A. in Education from the University of Judaism in 1986. Rabbi Aaron's rabbinic studies took place in Los Angeles, Jerusalem and New York culminating with his ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1991. He joined Beth Sholom following a twelve year tenure with Congregation Sha'arey Israel in Macon, GA. Prior to that, he was Assistant Rabbi at the Forest Hills Jewish Center in Forest HIlls, New York.

Rabbi Aaron has a deep love of all kinds of music, secular and sacred. He is a strong advocate for building bridges between both individuals and communities. While Rabbi Aaron supports all avenues of Tikkun Olam, he has his own personal tzedakah project as well. For several years, he has been hand-crafting, bottling, and selling herbal vinegars, with proceeds from those sales benefiting the children of Neve Michael, in Israel.

Rabbi Aaron has been married to his lovely wife, Sharona, for 23 years. Sharona teaches song and dance to the preschoolers at the Memphis Jewish Community Center, as well as choreography at St. Mary's Episcopal School. Rabbi Aaron and Sharona have two children. Zohar is a fifth grade student at the Bomblum Solomon Schecter School, and Maya attends the Memphis Jewish Community Center Kindergarten.

Please feel free to contact Rabbi Aaron, or visit Rabbi Aaron's Personal Page for copies of his writings, information about his herbal vinegars, and links to his favorite sites.

Cantor David Julian

Though born in New York City, Cantor David Julian spent much of his life in Southern California before moving to Memphis. He is a graduate of the Los Angeles Hebrew High School. He trained to become a cantor at the University of Judaism, at Hebrew Union College, and privately with prominent cantors on the east and west coasts. Cantor Julian served as Cantor at the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center in Pasadena, CA, and sang with the Southern California Cantors Ensemble for more than 20 years. He was Executive Director and Cantor of Temple Shaarei Torah in Arcadia, CA, before joining Beth Sholom in 1995.

Here in Memphis, Cantor Julian co-founded the "Three Cantors," a singing group comprised of Cantors Aryeh Sandberg, John Kaplan and himself. The group has performed in the Memphis area for Jewish and secular events. Cantor Julian enjoys kibbitzing in Yiddish, learning to speak Southern, entomology, herpetology and piscatology. He enjoys spending time with his son and daughter-in-law, Eran & Yael, and his wife, Claire, who directs the Beth Sholom Choir and accompanies the "Three Cantors."

Please feel free to contact Cantor Julian via email to visit Cantor David Julian’s Personal Page.

Executive Director - Barbara Newman

Our Executive Director since 2007, Barbara Newman is a native Memphian and has been a member of Beth Sholom Synagogue since her return to Memphis in 1989. An active lay leader in the Memphis Jewish community, Barbara has served as the chair of the Day Camp Committee and as a member of the Early Childhood Committee of the Memphis Jewish Community Center and was on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Historical Society of Memphis and the Mid-South.  She has spent countless hours on behalf of our sister organization, Bornblum Solomon Schechter School, where she served on the board and executive board in a variety of positions before assuming the Presidency in 2001. In 2005, she and her husband Bruce co-chaired the series of Beth Sholom 50th Anniversary events which culminated in the installation of Rabbi Aaron Rubinstein.

Barbara received a B.A. in Political Science from Brown University and spent her early post graduate years in New York City where she was an Assistant Treasurer for National Westminster Bank in its Middle Market Lending Division. The highlight of her New York experience was meeting her husband, Bruce, who has embraced southern life in spite of his Brooklyn heritage. They have two children, Allison, a sophomore at the University of Denver, and Scott a junior at White Station High School. When Barbara is not working on synagogue business she is spending time on a spin bike, enjoying movies from Netflix, or joining Bruce at any number of music venues.

Please do not hesitate to contact Barbara Newman if you need assistance.

Administrative Assistant - Cheryl Strong

Cheryl has been part of the Beth Sholom family since 2003. Her smiling face and warm disposition greet each member or guest who walks in Beth Sholom's front door. She is also often the first voice you hear when you call the synagogue office. In addition to manning the front office, Cheryl helps manage Cantor Julian's calendar. When Cheryl is not answering phones, making copies or preparing mailings, she enjoys reading and spending time with her family. You should feel free to contact Cheryl Strong.

Administrative Assistant - Deanna Lubin

Deanna became a welcome addition to the Beth Sholom staff in 2006. In addition to handling the administrative tasks of our Religious School and Youth Commission, Deanna works directly with Rabbi Aaron to keep his calendar and contacts updated. Deanna devotes much of her free time volunteering for Hadassah. If you need assistance, you may contact Deanna Lubin.

Kitchen Supervisor - Claudia Burkins

Beth Sholom just wouldn't feel like home without Claudia here to whip up her Saturday Kiddush luncheons or fry up her famous fried chicken. She has been part of the Beth Sholom family longer than most of our members, as she joined our staff in 1963. In addition to taking care of Beth Sholom's culinary needs, Claudia also works as a private caterer, so it is likely that you have enjoyed her food at a recent Bar Mitzvah, wedding or bris. Claudia stays busy with her 7 children, 7 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren when she is not in the Beth Sholom kitchen.

Kitchen Supervisor - Jackie Morris

Jackie is our weekend and evening kitchen supervisor, and is always there to help make sure that any Beth Sholom programming that involves food runs smoothly. Her pleasant demeanor and cooperative attitude make working with her a pleasure.

Maintenance Supervisor - Robert "Bucky" Wright

To say Beth Sholom is one giant family is literally true when you realize that our maintenance manager, Robert Wright, is the son of our kitchen supervisor Claudia Burkins, and supervises his own son, Robert Jr. who serves on our maintenance staff. Bucky is truly a jack of all trades and we count on him to make sure our building is not only clean but well maintained. Fortunately, he knows the inner workings of the facility and is there to keep us in good repair.

Maintenance Staff - Robert Wright, Jr; John Toler; Skip Morris

On any given day, a visitor to our facility might notice one of these young men hard at work making sure our building is clean or lifting heavy tables and chairs to set up a room for a special function. While they are each quiet, unassuming hard workers, we could not manage our wealth of activities without their commitment to our institution.