B’nai Jeshurun is fortunate to benefit from the leadership of three outstanding clergy. 

Our Rabbis and Cantor are there to guide and support you through joyous events and times of difficulty. When officiating at your simcha, they take the time to get to know you personally. In times of sorrow, they provide comfort and support. Our clergy also regularly engage in hospital visits and are available for counseling and guidance.

Born in Chicago, Rabbi Stephen Weiss earned his B.A. in Jewish and Western Civilization from the University of Judaism in LA, and was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York in 1990. Rabbi Weiss also trained in pastoral counseling through the Hospital Chaplaincy Inc. and Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York.

A former president of Far West Region USY, Rabbi Weiss’ career has been marked by his passion for working with Jewish youth. Rabbi Weiss has been teaching Jewish youth for twenty-five years. He also has served as a USY advisor and Regional Fieldworker. Rabbi Weiss served as rabbi for eleven years in Atlanta, GA and Southfield, MI before coming to B’nai Jeshurun in April 2001. Over the years, he has earned a reputation as a caring spiritual guide and passionate teacher of Torah. An outspoken community leader, he played a significant role in establishing a new Ramah Camp and two new Jewish High Schools, and has been active in both interfaith and Black-Jewish relations. An ardent lover of Zion, Rabbi Weiss is also known for his ability to galvanize the community’s support for Israel. He has led numerous teen and adult Israel missions.

In Cleveland, Rabbi Weiss also teaches at the Gross Schechter Day School. He is an officer of the Greater Cleveland Board of Rabbis, and serves on the Rabbinic Cabinets of National Israel Bonds, United Jewish Communities, and the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem, and the Chancellor’s Cabinet of the Jewish Theological Seminary. He is on the boards of the Gross Schechter Day School, Camp Ramah, the Middle East Forum and the American Jewish Committee, and a member of the Educational Advisory Board of Pardes High School, the Adult Learning Council and the Federation Overseas Committee for St. Petersburg.

Cantor Aaron Shifman is originally from Johannesburg, South Africa. A sixth generation Cantor, he trained in the Cantorial Arts under the tutelage of his uncle, Cantor Yehuda Shifman and his father, Cantor Baruch Shifman. Cantor Shifman served for nine years in Florida before coming to B’nai Jeshurun in 1998. In the years that Cantor Shifman has been at B’nai Jeshurun, he has transformed our services with his moving lyrical voice and his warm inviting style. Cantor Shifman has a true gift for classical Cantorial music, which he has integrated with contemporary music to create a spiritually uplifting service. In addition to his own music, the Cantor oversees our adult and youth choirs and two instrumental groups, and brings outstanding concerts and musical programs to our synagogue. He has also produced three outstanding Cantorial albums.

Rabbi Hal Rudin-Luria graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Jewish Studies and received his ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2001. At graduation, he was awarded the Israel Levinthal Award in Homiletics. Prior to moving to Cleveland, Rabbi Rudin-Luria served as a student rabbi in Huntsville, AL and New York City. He also served as chaplain at Beth Israel Medical Center, the US Navy, the New York Jewish Healing Center, and Gateways Beit Teshuvah, a Jewish home for recovering addicts.