Our Clergy

Senior Rabbi

Rabbi Ruth A. Zlotnick (she/her)
206-525-0915 x217
rabbiruth@templebetham.org

Rabbi Ruth A. Zlotnick has been described by her community as a teacher of Torah and Jewish values and is beloved for her gifts of knowledge, leadership, and counsel; inspirational worship services; and creative programming.

Rabbi Zlotnick previously served as Rabbi at Temple Beth Or in the Township of Washington, New Jersey and as Associate Rabbi and Director of Lifelong Learning at New York’s Central Synagogue. She also worked as Associate Director of Programs at Synagogue 2000, a national project aimed at revitalizing synagogues from all streams of American Judaism. In the New York-area, she taught at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) and Fairfield University. She currently sits on the Board of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and the Advisory Board for the Center for Religious Wisdom and World Affairs at Seattle University.

Rabbi Zlotnick is a graduate of HUC-JIR where she was ordained in 2001. She earned a Master of Hebrew Letters from HUC-JIR; she also holds a Master’s in the Philosophy of Religion from Yale University and a Bachelor’s degree in religious studies from Wesleyan University.

 

Rabbi

Rabbi Dana A. Benson (they/she)
206-525-0915 x216
rabbidana@templebetham.org

Rabbi Dana A. Benson is a strong believer in spiritual accessibility and seeks to help learners find value from our tradition even in every day moments. They have been described as a compassionate and inspirational teacher, thoughtful leader, and someone who brings light and fun everywhere they go. In her role, she connects with students and their families to discover and implement engaging educational opportunities and supports teachers, lay leaders, and parents in their roles of creating the next generation of kind, thoughtful, and socially aware Jewish adults.

Rabbi Benson previously served as the Assistant Director at Hillel at the University of Washington in Seattle and as the Senior Jewish Educator at Michigan State University Hillel and the Hillel Campus alliance of Michigan. During Rabbinical school at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in Cincinnati, Ohio, Rabbi Benson served as a teacher and lead staff member at Kulanu, a Reform Jewish High School, and also ran retreats for high school and college students in their role as a Rabbinic intern at HUC-JIR’s national office of recruitment and admissions. When not crafting curriculum and connecting to students and their families, Rabbi Benson loves to sing, play board games, enjoy musical theater and opera, and watch her partner, Gina, play roller derby for Rat City Roller Derby.