Jodi Kerper of Delmar Elected B’nai Sholom President; New Officers and Board Chosen

B’nai Sholom Reform Congregation today announced the election of new officers and members to the board of trustees.

At the 40th annual meeting held recently, the congregation elected Jodi Kerper of Delmar, president; Melody Bruce of Menands, president-elect and finance vice president; Hana Zima of Troy, vice president; Mark Brody of Delmar, secretary; and Margaret Tabak of Guilderland, treasurer. The meeting was held at the synagogue, located at 420 Whitehall Road, Albany.

Kerper succeeds Douglas Goldman as president. Bruce, Zima and Brody are newly elected to executive posts, while Tabak continues as an officer.

The congregation also elected Deborah Adler of Delmar, Eleanor Davis of Albany and Herb Swift of Guilderland to new positions as trustees. Continuing on the board are Joel Bloom of Loudonville, Glen Charles of Albany, Liz Davis of Glenmont, Jack Devore of Delmar, Eric Goldberg of Albany, Gail Golderman of Albany, Douglas Goldman of Loudonville, Yossi Koren-Roth of Delmar, Mark Reeder of Albany, Carol Smith of McKownville and Ruth Swift of Guilderland.

Rabbi Donald P. Cashman has been the congregation’s spiritual leader since 1985 and serves on the board ex officio.

After attending our first services at B’nai Sholom, I knew my family had found its spiritual home.  From the congregation-wide chanting of the Kol Nidre during the Days of Awe to the reading of the Megillah as part of our infamous Purim shpiel, B’nai Sholom truly is a warm, welcoming congregation that encourages all to partake in our opportunities for worship, prayer, learning and community.  I want to thank Doug Goldman for his leadership these past two years, and I and the board look forward to working with congregants as we continue to celebrate B’nai Sholom’s 40th anniversary year,” Kerper said.

Since 2007, Kerper has served as a training program coordinator at the Professional Development Program (PDP), part of the SUNY Research Foundation. Prior to that, she was a senior education specialist at PDP. From 1996 until 2002, she was a software engineer at Edgil Associates Inc. of Billerica, Mass., a software design company specializing in applications aimed at the newspaper industry. Kerper also holds experience in project management, publications and outreach at the University of Pennsylvania’s National Center on Fathers and Families and the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Research in Cognitive Science.

Kerper has served as B’nai Sholom’s president-elect for the past two years and has been a member of the synagogue’s board since 2007. She has served as an active member of the congregation’s fundraising and kids’ congregation/youth congregation committees.

A native of Virginia, Kerper grew up in Temple Beth-El, a conservative synagogue in Richmond, and was active in B’nai B’rith as a youth, holding council and regional leadership positions. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and has resided in the Capital Region for 10 years. Kerper is married to Dr. R. Karl Rethemeyer, associate professor of public affairs and policy and associate dean at Rockefeller College. The couple’s son, Benjamin Rethemeyer, will enter middle school this fall and is in his fourth year of attending the Union for Reform Judaism’s Eisner Camp in Great Barrington, Mass.

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Founded in 1971, B’nai Sholom Reform Congregation in Albany is a home for contemporary Reform Judaism in the Capital Region. Nearly 160 diverse households from six counties seek religious, educational and social fulfillment at B’nai Sholom.