Clergy
Rabbi David J. Lerner
Rabbi David Lerner was recently ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he concentrated his studies in Talmud and Rabbinics, and received the prestigious Cyrus Adler Prize for academic excellence. Rabbi Lerner also received the Rabbi Ben Zion Bergman Prize for Scholastic Achievements in Talmudic Studies.
During his time at JTS, Rabbi Lerner served the Pelham Jewish Center and Bet Torah, in Mount Kisco, in a variety of religious leadership roles. In 2018, he was awarded the Tanenbaum Fellowship at Beth Tzedec Congregation in Toronto, which evolved into a formal rabbinic internship. In 2019-2020, his rabbinic position at Beth Tzedec was extended and expanded with renewed focus on young family engagement.
Before entering the seminary, David served as Director of Youth and Young Adult Programming at Congregation Shaarey Zedek and ritual leader and teacher at the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue in his native Detroit. He also sat on the board of the Jewish Family Service and various community youth and young professional committees, and did private private tutoring in all areas of Judaics.
During this time, he enriched his learning and religious/spiritual practice by spending a year at Darche Noam Yeshiva in Jerusalem. David also spent many summers at Camp Ramah, Canada, creating and implementing camper and staff educational programming.
Rabbi Lerner lives with his wife, Dr. Rebbetzin Alexis, an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, and their two beautiful children, Magda Rose and Levi. Rabbi Lerner loves learning and teaching Torah, connecting with community, and spending time with his family. He looks forward to developing deep relationships and sharing his spirit and Torah with the B’nai Sholom-Beth David community.
Cantor Alexandra Weiser
Cantor Alexandra Weiser is a classically trained soprano whose work as a cantorial and concert soloist has taken her across the country and around the world. Currently based in New York City, she maintains an active schedule performing at various concerts and fundraisers in the greater Metro area; select NYC venues include: 54 Below, The Plaza, and Tribeca Rooftop. Ms. Weiser is also a featured vocalist with Mozart for Munchkins, an acclaimed organization that realizes the all-important mission of nurturing music appreciation and creative expression from infanthood. Her training includes Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute and the Metropolitan Opera’s Bel Canto Institute where she was selected to train in Florence, Italy as one of 20 emerging vocalists globally.
Brandeis University is her alma mater, where she received academic Magna Cum Laude honors studying classical music, theatre, and Hebrew as a second language. Her evolution into the role of cantor came naturally, as from a young age she was excited by the capacity of music and ritual to fuse mind, body, and community. For Alexandra, music is a pure expression of the common spirit that transcends each individual.
Cantor Weiser is proud to have served egalitarian congregations across North America including New City Jewish Center in Rockland County, NY; Riverdale Temple in Riverdale, NY; Israel Congregation of Manchester in Manchester, Vermont; Temple El Emeth in Youngstown, Ohio, and Kehilat Shalom in Calgary, Alberta. She is thrilled and honored to be Congregation B’nai Sholom Beth David’s first female cantor.
Richard Perlbinder – Ritual Director
Richard Perlbinder, the Ritual Director of Congregation B’nai Sholom-Beth David since 2001, is responsible for leading Daily Minyan and reading the Torah during services.
Richard was born in Brooklyn and raised in Valley Stream. His education includes a brief stop at the Hebrew Institute of Long Island (HILI) in Far Rockaway, then the Ivry Prosdor High School and the Hebrew High School of the Five Towns. He then lived on a kibbutz in Israel before returning to the United States to study at Cornell and Stony Brook.
Richard’s knowledge of and familiarity with the Torah enable him to chant the parshas flawlessly, his yad moving effortlessly over the text. He also chants the Megillah on Purim and leads services when the Cantor or Rabbi are unavailable. We are fortunate to have Richard participate as an integral member of our clergy.
Richard is a proud alumnus of Camp Ramah and a lifelong Zionist.