Sharon Mars became the senior rabbi at Temple Israel Columbus in 2017, and for 4 years prior to that served as Temple Israel’s Associate Rabbi and Director of Community Engagement. She received her rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College, New York in 1998, and in 2023 received her Doctorate of Divinity for her 25 years of rabbinic service.
Previously, Sharon served as a rabbi in hospice, state penitentiaries, senior care, mental health facilities, Jewish Community Centers, and Jewish summer camps. Passionate about supporting young Jews on campus, Sharon was the program director at Hillel at the Claremont Colleges immediately after graduating from UC Santa Barbara in 1989, and was the campus rabbi at the North Carolina Hillel in Chapel Hill years later. She has studied at Hebrew University, the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, the Mussar Institute, and the Shalom Hartman Institute, was a Hadar Jewish Wisdom Fellow, and serves on the board of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. Her rabbinate is rooted in mindfulness and community organizing work, and she is committed to building bridges between individuals and communities. Rabbi Mars is incredibly proud to serve a congregation which is so deeply committed to relationship-building, intellectual exploration, and spiritual journey-taking.
A native Los Angelino, she is the mother of three awesome young adults, a big fan of the great outdoors and live music, and loves a good TV streaming binge watch.
Phone: 614-866-0010 x112
Email: rabbimars@templeisrael.org
Sharon Mars
Bat-Ami Moses
Cantor Bat-Ami Moses’ gifts as a spiritual leader, educator, writer, performer and organizer suture hearts and uplift souls. A native of Los Angeles, she received her investiture from the H.L. Miller Cantorial School of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America with a Masters of Sacred Music in 2007. She holds a B.F.A. in Musical Theater from Syracuse University and an M.S. Ed. in Museum Education from the Bank Street College of New York. Serving on the board of the Cantor’s Assembly and a member of the American Conference of Cantors, she possesses a strong leadership foothold in both the Conservative and Reform movements.
A sought after guest artist and scholar-in residence nationwide, she was featured in “Creating Soulful Worship” with Craig Taubman and has performed with artists like Billy Jonas, Dan Nichols and Rick Recht. She is the recipient of the Braugnin award for her collaboration with Columbus’ A Tribe for Jazz and has performed off Broadway and regionally. She has also produced benefit concerts for ATZUM and Everytown, for causes close to her heart such as promoting justice in Israel and ending gun violence in America.
Listen to her many recordings on her website, www.cantormoses.com, such as her cantorial debut album, Kol Bat-Ami, and her original Jewish kids music, Bo Nashir! She is a featured artist on JKids Radio and can also be heard on three Cantor’s Assembly compilations, and Temple Israel’s SHIRjoy!
Phone: 614-866-0010 x103
Email: cantormoses@templeisrael.org
Natalie serves as Executive Director of Temple Israel, where she partners with clergy, staff, and lay leadership to bring the congregation’s mission to life. With a master’s degree in Human Resources and Business and a background in engagement, Natalie is passionate about building strong teams, meaningful member experiences, and a temple community where everyone feels they belong.
For Natalie, Jewish values come to life in how we care for one another. She is a devoted ally of the LGBTQ+ community and an advocate for the rights of women and all people. Natalie is a believer in “praying with our feet” – putting compassion into action, at temple and beyond.
A Cincinnati native, Natalie has called Columbus home since 2022. She shares her life with her husband, their amazing daughters and their counter-surfing doberman. She loves music, book club, farmers’ markets, a matcha latte and baking. She can be found at barre class before the sun rises and mahj when the sun sets. She is always up for a game night.
Phone: 614-866-0010 x115
Email: nadler@templeisrael.org
Natalie Adler
Courtney E. Anthony
Courtney serves as Director of Jewish Education, sharing opportunities for Jewish learning with Temple Israel’s religious school students, teens, and adults. Courtney views Jewish learning as a lifelong pursuit and she loves getting to work with learners of all ages and life stages. She is also continuing her own Jewish education by pursuing a Master’s degree in Israel Education through The George Washington University.
Before beginning her tenure at Temple Israel, Courtney served as Principal for Grades 7-12 at Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, Virginia; as Director of Education at Temple Emanuel in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; and, most recently, as Director of Education at Isaac M. Wise Temple in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in English and is a Shakespeare enthusiast, having previously volunteered as a docent at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.
Courtney enjoys reading, writing, travel, and spending time with her pets: a rabbit named Fiver and two guinea pigs named Littlefoot and Clover.
Ruth Klarin Silverman serves Temple Israel as our Program & Lifecycle Events Director, a role she has held for over 20 years.
Born and raised in Dayton, Ruth moved a little further east to Columbus for college, earning a dual degree from The Ohio State University in Political Science and English.
Before joining Temple Israel, Ruth built an eclectic career around Columbus: she planned special events, owned a gift shop, worked in non-profit management, and spent time in politics as a legislative aide at the Statehouse and an investigator at the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
When she’s not at Temple Israel, you’ll find Ruth weeding in her garden, cooking in her kitchen, sewing in her den, or out walking a dog. She and her husband have two married children — a son who lives nearby and a daughter in New York City — and each has two young children of their own. Being both a local and long-distance Nana keeps Ruth on the go, and very familiar with LaGuardia Airport!
Ruth Silverman
Zachary Looper-Friedman
Zach, or Zachary if you’re upset with him, was born and reared in Columbus, Ohio, where he became involved with an extended Jewish community through regional and national leadership in a Jewish youth group. He graduated from Ohio University, Athens, with a focus in economics. Zach has been working with small business bookkeeping and accounting since 2006 when he started keeping the books for a small Columbus law firm during college and more recently for the better part of a decade with small businesses in San Francisco’s financial district.
Since moving back to the Columbus area, Zach, and his beautiful, talented, Bay-Area raised partner, Jennifer, have enjoyed exploring all the wonderful food the city has to offer, starting, and sometimes even finishing, DIY projects on their home, and entertaining their children, dog, and a small sharp-eared animal with stripes.
If you see Zach at Shul, or even out-and-about in Columbus, please don’t hesitate to strike up a conversation about Buckeye football, any Cleveland sports team, your favorite restaurant in the Bay-Area, the most adorable thing your puppy dog did recently, or whether you think Eric Bibb or Keb’ Mo’ has more soul.
Phone: 614-866-0010 x107
Email: accounting@templeisrael.org
Jodi is a Columbus, Ohio native and graduated from Ohio University with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism. She has had a wide range of careers including librarian, computer tech, retail associate, medical secretary, marketing assistant and auction house associate.
When she isn’t working on the website or creating new graphics for Temple Israel Columbus, you can find Jodi reading a lot of non-fiction, working on a craft project, watching historical dramas on Netflix or PBS, and researching the latest topic that strikes her fancy.
Jodi Bumgarner
Lynne Garfinkel
Lynne Garfinkel serves as the part-time Stewardship Manager at Temple Israel, where she helps cultivate meaningful relationships with congregants and donors, fostering a culture of generosity that supports the Temple’s mission and strengthens its community. She also manages the Lurie Micro-Grants Program, partnering with a dedicated volunteer committee to review and fund congregant-led ideas that enrich Temple life, encourage innovation, and build community through grassroots initiatives.
Lynne’s background is as an organizational consultant, executive coach, and facilitator helping nonprofit and mission-driven organizations strengthen leadership, align teams, and navigate strategic change. She holds a Master’s degree in Applied Psychology with a specialization in Organizational Psychology and is a Certified Coach through Lumia Coaching, an International Coaching Federation (ICF)-accredited program.
When she’s not working, Lynne enjoys hiking the mountains of Colorado, where she lives with her husband, Mike. She loves building connections within her community and is always energized by opportunities to bring people together around a shared purpose. She is also the proud mom of two adult children, Adam and Jami.
Kelly has been serving the Jewish community for over 9 years, 4 of which started by working part-time as a maintenance associate at Congregation Agudas Achim. He now leads the facilities management of Temple Israel with no plans on slowing down.
Born and raised a Buckeye, He is located in the northeast area, He is a proud father of three daughters, He also spends his past time working out and playing recreation sports (Flag Football, Basketball, Soccer, MMA) to stay active. Kelly is a sports fanatic and enjoys The OSU Buckeyes football team, along with a lot of local sports such as the Cincinnati Bengals, Columbus Blue Jackets, Columbus Clippers, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Cavs, Columbus Crew, and the newly added Columbus Aviators.
Kelly is very family-oriented and treats the staff and congregants as an extension of his family, It is said that he treats the building like it’s his second home. A firm believer in “It takes a village”.
If you want an easy person to talk to or just have any building issues, just say hello with a smile!
Email: karmstrong@templeisrael.org
Kelly Armstrong
