Our people are truly our greatest asset. Representing many different backgrounds, age groups, and locations throughout metropolitan Cleveland, the leaders and members of Suburban Temple-Kol Ami are what make our worship community unique. We believe that every individual brings a wonderfully unique perspective on Judaism, faith, and community, and we encourage diversity in our congregation and its prayer and activities. All members are equal partners in this enriching goal.
 

Rabbi Vann was elected our next Rabbi starting July 1, 2011 at the February meeting of the Board of Trustees. Rabbi Vann will be coming to us from Temple Beth-El in San Antonio, Texas where she is currently the Associate Rabbi. She has been there for 12 years, first as an Assistant Rabbi and then promoted to Associate Rabbi in 2002. She grew up in Easton, PA – near Bethlehem and Allentown in the foothills of the Poconos and graduated with a BA from the University of Pittsburgh. In 1998, she received her Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters from Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati.  She was ordained at HUC–JIR in 1999.

Rabbi Vann was asked her thoughts upon hearing the results of the Board meeting "“My thoughts – more than I can put into words. I am honored, beyond words, to be chosen as the next Rabbi of ST-KA. I know that, together, we will bring the congregation from strength to strength.”

Director of Lifelong Learning Debbie Bram

Debbie Bram became our Religious School Director in July of 2003 and was named Director of Lifelong Learning in July of 2011. Debbie previously served as an educator at Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation, Program Coordinator of Our Jewish Home, a project of the Central Agency for Jewish Education of St. Louis and as Religious School Director of Congregation Temple Israel in St. Louis, Missouri. Debbie holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Illinois and an MSW from Loyola University of Chicago. Currently she is studying for her Executive Masters in Education as part of this new program’s first cohort at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Debbie has helped create a vibrant learning environment for our congregation. She is the mother of Jessica and Daniel and the wife of Rabbi Eric Bram z”l. Feel free to contact her at dbram@suburbantemple.org.

 Rabbi Stone was born and raised in New York City. A 1978 graduate of Vassar College, she was ordained at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati in 1983. She has served a variety of pulpits and organizations in the greater Cleveland community. Rabbi Stone has been a member of our congregation for many years.

Rabbi Stone is the mother of Charles, who is a studying at Middlebury College in Vermont and Jake, a student at University School. “Coming to Suburban Temple as the interim Rabbi at this time is the very definition of bittersweet. Bitter because of the loss of Rabbi Eric Bram, the Temple’s spiritual leader and my esteemed colleague. Sweet because this is the congregation in which I was married, my sons were educated and my husband eulogized. I feel honored and humbled and dedicated to moving forward together. My goal is to help the congregation work through the grieving and sadness of the past year and continue to grow all the wonderful things that make Suburban Temple-Kol Ami the warm caring community that it is.”

Rabbi Eric J. Bram joined Suburban Temple - Kol Ami as our rabbi on July 1,2002. He believed that, in his own words, "a rabbi is a teacher, a student, a counselor, a link to Jewish tradition, a bridge to a fuller life [and] a Jew who rejoices in the power of God and faith," and he committed wholeheartedly to that, teaching, learning, and connecting for the eight years he was with us at ST-KA. A Midwesterner by birth, education and professional affiliations, Rabbi Bram was ordained at Hebrew Union Collegein 1985. He began his career at Temple Israel in St. Louis and then continued as Senior Rabbi at Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation. He received his Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati. Rabbi Bram received his Doctor of Divinity in 2010 in recognition of his twenty-five years of rabbinic service and accepted the title of Emeritus shortly before he passed away on August 17, 2010. He is survived by his wife, Debbie and their two children, Jessica and Daniel.

Executive Director Emeritus Loree Resnik

Loree B. Resnik, FTA, had been our Temple’s Executive Director since 1978 and assumed the position of Emeritus on July 1, 2011. Her years of involvement with Suburban Temple-Kol Ami, including many years serving as both Executive Director and Religious School Principal, make her a great resource for questions about the Temple, congregation, and the Jewish community in Cleveland. Loree was the founding president of the Cleveland Area Temple and Synagogue Administrators, chaired the Cleveland Jewish Educators Council, and served as a member of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and the National Association of Temple Educators. She is currently Past President of the National Association of Temple Administrators. A life-long resident of Cleveland, Loree received her Bachelor of Science degree from the Ohio University and holds a Master of Education degree from Kent State University with certification in School Psychology and Administration. She holds a certification as a Fellow in Temple Administration, has done post-graduate work at Kent State University, and has studied at institutes at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles and the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati.