Rabbi Sarit Horwitz

Rabbi Sarit Horwitz is thrilled to be in Memphis as a part of the Beth Sholom community. She moved to Memphis from New York City, where she served as the Senior Rabbinic Fellow at B’nai Jeshurun, a large synagogue with strong emphases on music, prayer, and justice work. Rabbi Sarit began there as an intern while she was still in Rabbinical School at the Jewish Theological Seminary, and she continued on full-time for two years following her ordination. In addition to standard rabbinic functions, in her time at BJ, Rabbi Sarit managed the conversion program and taught an Introduction to Judaism course, developed and engaged the community in extensive holiday programming, taught text classes, and grew the young professionals population. She learned a tremendous amount from this huge, 1700-family community, and is excited to be in the much smaller, more homey community of Beth Sholom.

Rabbi Sarit completed her undergraduate studies in the joint program between Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary with degrees in Psychology and Midrash. Concurrent with her rabbinic studies, Rabbi Sarit  was a Wexner Graduate Fellow and received a Master’s degree in Jewish Women and Gender Studies. She also served as the Rabbinic Intern at Yale University’s Hillel and completed a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at Bellevue Hospital.

Having grown up in Kansas City, Rabbi Sarit attended Camp Ramah in Wisconsin and is a Jewish summer camp enthusiast. In her free time, she loves biking, cooking (and browsing the New York Times cooking app), and reading. She lives in Memphis with her sons and husband, Rabbi Abe Schacter-Gampel, who is the Director for the Center of Jewish Life and Learning at the Memphis Jewish Community Center.

Ricky Kodner - Executive Director

Ricky Kodner is so happy to have found a wonderful home here at the warm and comfortable community of Beth Sholom Synagogue. Ricky has had a long and varied life in and around the Jewish community; it’s where he feels most comfortable in devoting his time and efforts. He looks forward to many years here at Beth Sholom Synagogue.

Most recently, he spent 4 years as a Reservist for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, better known as FEMA. But prior to that, he devoted much of his time to the Jewish Community.

He spent three years as the Camp Director of Camp JORI (Jewish Orphanage of Rhode Island) and seven years as the Camp Director of Camp Ben Frankel and the Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky, and Southeast Missouri. He also taught Tefila (prayer), Torah and Jewish Holidays to Jewish inmates one day a week for several years at the Centralia Medium Security Prison.

Ricky is a past president of his home-town synagogue in St. Louis, Missouri. He served on multiple committees and task forces running programs and engaging with other volunteers, and he is thrilled to put these skills to work now as a professional member of the synagogue staff. He also served on the board of the St. Louis Solomon Schechter Day School, where his two children attended school.

Ricky abides by the philosophy: "Make a new friend every day. Smile at everyone you meet and meet everyone you smile at." He looks forward to getting to know you!

You can reach out to Ricky here.

Director of Education - Julee Levine

Julee Levine spent the last 20 years in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, CA. In her former community, she spent time as the Director of Youth & Teen Engagement, Director of Congregational Programming, and as the Head of School of the JLC (Jewish Learning Community). Born in Buffalo, NY, her family moved to Jacksonville, FL, when she was very young, and at an early age learned "Hey Y'all" and "Go Gators." In high school, Julee was an active leader in BBYO and participated in Jewish education. A hiatus from that in college helped her to realize the importance of authentic and intentional Jewish communities, so after college, she became a Sunday school teacher and a USY advisor. This turned into a full-time position as a Youth Director in Birmingham, AL, 2 decades in LA, and what has brought her to Beth Sholom. Over the past 5 years, Julee has also presented sessions at Jewish education conferences and has been hired to do virtual trainings and education by organizations across the country. Julee was also in the 1st cohort of the Hadar Jewish Wisdom Fellowship and has worked with M2 - the Institute for Experiential Jewish Education, the Center for Rabbinic Innovation, and The Mussar Institute. She also had her work published by Haggadot.com recently. Julee strives to make sure that everyone can have a seat at the table.

Julee is a VERY proud alumna of the University of Florida, with a BA and a M.Ed. in Special Education. While in LA, she was on the board of the Southern California Gator Club for 14 years, including 2 terms as President and recognition from the Alumni Association as an outstanding leader.

Julee is a curious foodie, an avid reader, and has been a contestant on 4 game shows! She and her husband Jason live in Cordova, and enjoy Marvel movies and TV shows, karaoke, comedy, and trivia. Julee's mom Barbara will also be joining the BSS community in 2022.

Julee hopes you will reach out and connect with her about education, college football, and whether a hot dog is a sandwich.

Office Manager - Erica Mosley

As the newest member to the team, Erica Mosley is thrilled to be a part of Beth Sholom Synagogue. She considers herself to be a dedicated and dependable individual who is confident that her skills and academic experience will allow her to thrive. She was born and raised in Memphis, TN. A graduate of Ridgeway High School class of 2007, she has an associate degree in accounting from Southwest Tennessee Community College and is currently obtaining her bachelor’s degree in accounting with a concentration in business administration at Strayer University. Erica spends most of her time with her son who loves basketball and video games. Her hobbies include dining out, watching TV shows, traveling, and shopping. 

 Erica looks forward to seeing your smiling faces soon and growing with Beth Sholom Synagogue. You can reach out to her by email here.