Rabbi Niles Goldstein is the spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Shalom of Napa Valley. Rabbi Niles, an experienced and dynamic Reform rabbi and educator, is also the award-winning author or editor of ten books. He was the founding rabbi of The New Shul, an innovative, independent synagogue in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, which he served for over a decade. Prior to his arrival at Beth Shalom Napa in 2017, Rabbi Niles worked in a variety of congregational, interfaith and academic settings while based in his native Chicago.
Gordon Lustig began leading music for Friday night services at Temple Beth Torah in Fremont, California, when he was 12 years old. Just out of high school, he was asked to be a song leader at UAHC Camp Swig in Saratoga, CA. Gordon composed the song “Hine Tov M’od,” based on B’reisheet, when he was only 19 years old ,and that song is now sung all over the world. He worked at Swig every summer for the next six years, where he song led, composed, arranged, and continued to keep the bar high after Debbie Friedman ended her tenure at Swig. Gordon also co-produced the second recording at camp called “Mi-libeinu – A Song from Our Heart. “
Gordon is essentially a self-taught guitarist. At age 25 he attended the prestigious Dick Grove School of Music in Studio City, CA. Upon graduating from the Grove School Gordon composed the main themes and background music for television sit-coms, including “Chicken Soup” starring Jackie Mason and Lynn Redgrave. He composed music for “One People, Many Stories,” a Jewish short story series which aired yearly on National Public Radio. Gordon has produced recordings by various artists from Ladino singer Judy Frankel, to the Jewish rock band Mah Tovu.
Gordon’s involvement in camps, synagogues, and Jewish music has influenced countless children and adults over the years and continues to inspire with his musicianship and humor.
Art Grand began his spiritual journey as a lay leader, first serving as a president of his congregation, and eventually becoming a leader of the Reform Movement. Along the way, he learned that lay leadership is not just about budgets. It’s about being a role model of a Jew who learns and teaches, and tries to lead a meaningful Jewish Life.
Art recently completed his rabbinical studies at the Academy for Jewish Religion California, a non-denominational seminary based on the belief that every person has a unique spark of holiness within them. By being open to each other – by honoring each other’s unique beliefs and experiences, we can open doors so that the divine light shines through.
Marah Peresechensky is a native New Yorker and a Cuban Jew. Marah grew up on Long Island, where her family was very active in her local shul.
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Boston University and Master’s Degrees in Child Life and Early Childhood and Childhood Education from Bank Street College and Long Island University, respectively.
Marah brings to Congregation Beth Shalom a background in operations and logistics having been the Director of Operations for a large overnight summer camp. She aims to streamline processes and make things as simple as possible for the synagogue and it’s members. Organization is a key tenet to her work ethic, and it allows her to juggle many complex tasks at one time.
Marah’s career path has been primarily child-focused, and she knows what a quality youth program looks like and the value it provides to the greater Jewish community. She has worked as a preschool teacher and a nanny and has attended and staffed a summer camp. Her professional experience has also included facilitating educational and social programs for teens and pre-teens alike, providing engaging activities and events to help shape their Jewish identities.
Marah prides herself on having an open door policy and invites everyone to stop in to get an answer to a question, talk about an issue, or just say “hi”.
Rabbi Bycel began his tenure at Congregation Beth Shalom in 2012. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Jewish Studies and Social Justice at the University of San Francisco. In 2014, he was appointed by President Obama to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Council.
He has brought to Beth Shalom many years of experience, including fifteen years as the Dean of the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles, where he served as the Senior Academic and Administrative Officer of the campus and director of the rabbinic school. He was also an Assistant Professor of Leadership and Applied Theology. Additionally, he has served as the Smither Visiting Professor of World Religions at the Claremont School of Theology. Throughout his rabbinic career, he has also served as a congregational rabbi, director of the Redford Center and President of the Brandeis-Bardin Institute.