Rabbi Jack Dermer
Originally from Southwest Florida, Rabbi Dermer brought his love of learning to Brandeis University
, where he earned a BA in Philosophy and Religious Studies. Upon graduating from Brandeis, Rabbi Dermer followed his religious calling to the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem, where he decided to devote his life to Torah, spiritual growth, and serving the Jewish community. While in rabbinical school at the Jewish Theological Seminary, Rabbi Dermer built upon his interest in philosophy, earning an MA in Jewish Thought with a focus on Chassidic and Kabbalistic mysticism, and twice receiving the Seminary’s Rubenovitz Prize in Theology. As a rabbinical student, Rabbi Dermer worked as a chaplain for Holocaust survivors, created a program to host Shabbat meals for isolated senior citizens, and enjoyed spending numerous summers as a teacher and special needs inclusion counselor with Camp Ramah.
Rabbi Dermer is a lifelong guitar player, and brings his love of music to his rabbinate. Rabbi Dermer is the current Vice President of the Long Island Board of Rabbis, and serves as the Committee Chair for the Rabbinical Assembly's Human Rights Sub-Committee. A strong advocate for Israel, Rabbi Dermer is also actively involved in many programs with AIPAC and the Jewish National Fund.
Rabbi Dermer is excited to continue sharing his warmth, music, and passion for Torah with Temple Beth Torah and the larger Jericho community.
You can reach Rabbi Dermer at rabbijdermer@gmail.com
Cantor Scott Sokol
Scott Sokol is Director of Psychological Assessment and Professor of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai Medical System and Icahn School of Medicine. Prior to this position, he served as Head of School at the Schechter School of Long Island. Sokol has a BA from Brandeis University (Psychology – Summa cum Laude), MA and PhD degrees from Johns Hopkins University (Cognitive Neuropsychology), MSM and cantorial investiture from the Jewish Theological Seminary and rabbinic ordination from the Rabbinical Seminary International. Prior to moving to back to New York (where he was raised), he spent a dozen years on the clinical and academic faculties of Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, and then spent 17 years (some overlapping) as a senior faculty administrator at Hebrew College where he was Dean of the School of Jewish Music, founded the Cantor-Educator Program and laid the groundwork for the Rav-Hazzan Program. At HC he also founded the Jewish Special Education program and served as the inaugural Korman Family Professor of Jewish Special Education (the first of its kind in the country) while teaching simultaneously in the School of Jewish Music and the Rabbinical School.
Sokol was the first cantorial student to receive a Wexner Graduate Fellowship; he also was a Fulbright Scholar and received many awards including the Young Scientist Award from the American Psychological Association and the Benjamin Shevach Memorial Award for Outstanding Jewish Educational Leadership, Hebrew College’s highest honor.
Over his career Sokol has held several pulpits. He was the Hazzan and Spiritual Leader of Congregation Kehillath Israel in Brookline, Massachusetts for eleven years. He then moved to Temple Beth Sholom in Framingham, Massachusetts as part-time Hazzan for fifteen years, and interim rabbi for one year. During a portion of this time he also served as a part-time rabbi at Temple Emanuel in Marlborough, Massachusetts. These years offered him a rare opportunity to see both sides of the rabbi-cantor relationship, an area of practice he remains committed to enhancing.
Sokol has served two terms on the Executive Committee of the Cantors Assembly, and recently was the CA’s representative to the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards. He is delighted to be joining the clergy team at Temple Beth Torah, and bringing his family to the community.
Rabbi Emeritus Michael Katz
Michael Katz became the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Torah in 1979 and served as our Rabbi for over 41 years. Upon his retirement on November 30th 2020, Rabbi Katz was bestowed the distinguished title of Rabbi Emeritus.
In honor of Rabbi Katz’s contributions to TBT, its congregants and his unwavering dedication to Conservative Judaism and education, TBT has endowed The Rabbi Michael Katz Fund for Jewish Learning. The fund will be used for continuing Jewish education programs for adults and children, including outside speakers, Hebrew School programming, Adult Education programming and new and additional opportunities to learn including enhanced technology at TBT.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Rabbi Katz received his B.A. from Temple University, and a Bachelors of Hebrew Literature from Gratz College. He was awarded a Masters Degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he received his Rabbinic ordination. In 2005, JTS awarded the rabbi the degree of Doctor of Divinity.
Rabbi Katz has been strongly involved in the institutions of Conservative Judaism. He was a regional president of United Synagogue Youth; a staff member for twenty years at Camp Ramah; past president of the Rabbinical Assembly of Nassau-Suffolk; a founder of the Solomon Schechter High School; and a class Rabbi at the Schechter Day School of Nassau County, in Jericho. He also serves on the Conservative Bet Din, the Rabbinic Court supervising conversions on Long Island.
Rabbi Katz is the co-author of two books: SWIMMING IN THE SEA OF TALMUD
Rabbi Katz and his wife Fran are the parents of Ariel (and his wife Sarah Malka, who live in Jerusalem) and Eliana (and her husband Joel) and are grandparents of Chaim, Mimi, Racheli, Ayelet, Tali, Elchanan, Noa, Yitzhaky, Elisheva and Yael.
Cantor Emeritus Kalman Fliegelman
Cantor Kalman Fliegelman came to our Congregation in the Fall of 1962 and was TBT’s cantor for over 55 years. Upon his retirement on June 30th 2017, Cantor Fliegelman earned the honorable title of Cantor Emeritus, the first such distinction given at Temple Beth Torah.
Born in Poland, Cantor Fliegelman sang with a choir from the age of 11, about the time he first arrived in the United States. He studied Nusach (liturgical music) with Cantor Abraham Abramowitz, the famed choir leader, and was among the few selected for training by the world-renowned Cantor David Kusevitsky. Cantor Fliegelman, who was a featured vocalist on radio station WEVD on the popular Jewish Hour, is a member of both the Jewish Cantors and Ministers Association, and the Cantors Assembly of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He is a graduate of City College of New York.
In 1985, Cantor Fliegelman was installed as an Honorary Fellow of the Cantors Institute in recognition of his long service to the Congregation and to the world music.
Cantor Fliegelman and his wife Carol are the parents of Larry and Stuart, and daughter-in-law Jodi, and the proud grandparents of Noah and Hali.
Carol Fliegelman, who has taught our Hebrew School Bet class for many years, is the recipient of a special award from Hebrew Union College, which recognized her as a ‘master teacher.’
Cantor Fliegelman’s biography can be found here