Meet Our Clergy and Staff

Rabbi Harold J. Kravitz, Senior Rabbi

Harold J. Kravitz joined the rabbinic staff of the Adath Jeshurun Congregation (Conservative) in 1987. In 1996 he was appointed Senior Rabbi- Max Newman Family Chair in Rabbinics.

A native of Philadelphia, Rabbi Kravitz completed his BA in History at Temple University (Philadelphia, 1981). He did graduate studies at the University of Judaism (Los Angeles, now the American Jewish University), Hebrew University (Jerusalem 84-85), and was ordained and received an MA in Jewish Studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (New York City, 1987). He has trained in general and family mediation at the Mediation Center for Dispute Resolution of the Hamline Law School (St. Paul).

Rabbi Kravitz has served as rabbinic representative on the newly revamped Board of the Minneapolis Federation of Jewish Services (2006-08). He was Chair of the organization of Twin Cities’ Conservative Rabbis (1998-2001) He has served two terms as Co-Chair of the Minnesota Rabbinical Association (1990-94). He served on the Executive Council of the Rabbinical Assembly (the international organization of Conservative rabbis 1998-2000). He is in his second term as Chairperson of the Rabbinical Assembly’s Vaad HaKavod, the Committee for Professional Ethics (2006- ).

He has served on the Board of Directors (1999-08) and on the Executive Committee (2002-08) of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger and is presently on the Personnel Committee. He served as President of MICAH - the Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing (93-96). He has also served on the boards of the Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis and the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition (91-94).  In 1991 he was honored for outstanding child advocacy by Congregations Concerned for Children.

Rabbi Kravitz is married to Cindy Reich, a national consultant in the field of Jewish Education and Educational Program Evaluation, who served as the Principal of the St. Paul Talmud Torah Day School. They have three children, Gabriel, Talia, and Elana.

Rabbi Yonatan Sadoff, Assistant Rabbi

Rabbi Yonatan Sadoff joined Adath Jeshurun in September of 2009. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a major in Film. After a few years working in New York City in that field, he choose to return to his roots and go further on the path of his Jewish journey and education.

In 2001, he attended the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem and studied there under Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Joel Roth, continued his studies at the Conservative Yeshiva in Israel, and concluded his studies at the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary of the Masorti/Conservative movement in Jerusalem, Israel.

Rabbi Sadoff’s prayer is that God will help him to teach Torah Lishmah- Torah for its own sake, to the Adath community to share the experience of the transformative power of God and Torah.

Scott Buckner, Hazzan (Cantor)

Scott Buckner joined the staff of Adath Jeshurun Congregation in 1994.  He is a graduate of the Cantor’s Institute (now the H.L. Miller Cantorial School) of the Jewish Theological Seminary (New York City 1987), where he received awards in the areas of music excellence and voice. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Music from Tufts University with a performance degree in voice and classical guitar. Possessing a lyrical Tenor voice with a wide vocal range, Cantor Buckner has thrilled congregations and concert audiences with his Cantorial renditions and musical programs. He has worked together with several modern Jewish singer/songwriters to create a special Friday evening musical service which is held monthly in our congregation (Friday Night Live).

Cantor Buckner studied in the Cantorial program of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality (IJS) and has brought the learning and practices of IJS to our congregation. Most notable is the practice of sacred chanting using the style and music of Rabbi Shefa Gold along with Cantor Buckner’s own compositions. These sacred chants are sung during services often with the help of the Cantor’s high school singing group, the M’shor’rim. Cantor Buckner currently serves on the Ethics Committee of the Cantors Assembly (the largest organization of professional Hazzanim in the world).

Cantor Buckner and his wife Marcy are blessed with four children: Heather, Ethan, Matthew and Rachel.

Bernie Goldblatt, Executive Director

Bernie Goldblatt has been Executive Director of Adath Jeshurun Congregation for nine years. He has a B.A. in Near Eastern studies from the University of Michigan, a J.D. from the George Washington University School of Law and studied for one year at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. A brief career in law was followed by 25 years in business; 10 years for a large public corporation and the remaining in his own company.

Bernie is a member of the Board of Governors of NAASE (North American Association of Synagogue Executives), co-chaired a recent national conference and received the professional certification of FSA, Fellow in Synagogue Administration in 2005.

Bernie is married to Dr. Leslie Goldblatt, a veterinarian, and they have three daughters: Talia, Aviva and Leora.

Rabbi Lilly Kaufman, Director of Jewish Learning

Rabbi Lilly Kaufman joined Adath as Director of Jewish Learning, Berman Family Chair of Jewish Learning, in the summer of 2008. She oversees the Shabbat Morning Program for middle-school and teenage students, and the B’Yachad Sunday morning program for children in grades K-4, and is involved in our Bar- and Bat-Mitzvah Program. She provides content support to Gan Shelanu, and to our Adult Education programming, along with some teaching duties; and helps our clergy and lay leaders envision new programming and learning ideas for all ages at Adath. 

Rabbi Kaufman received ordination as a cantor by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1998, and as a rabbi in 2001. She served as spiritual leader of a synagogue in Connecticut for seven years prior to moving to Minnesota. Service to the Jewish community is her second career. She started out in book publishing after graduating Barnard College in 1976, with a B.A. in English Literature and a minor in Art History. She has a life-long and eclectic interest in the arts. 

A native New Yorker, this is Rabbi Kaufman’s first time living in the Midwest. She is finding the climate cold but the people and cultural world very warm indeed. She is very happy to locate her office next to the Gan!

Nina Samuels, Adult Learning Director and Clarion Editor

Nina Samuels joined the staff of Adath Jeshurun Congregation in 1986. A native of Duluth, Minnesota, she holds a Bachelor of General Studies degree and an MA in Adult and Continuing Education from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She worked at the University of Minnesota's Department of Continuing Education and Extension and at Minneapolis Jewish Family and Children's Service, where she served as a family life educator and caseworker with new immigrants and as Director of Jewish Family Life Enrichment. She also taught English and trained volunteer tutors of English in Jerusalem.

Nina oversees adult learning opportunities in the congregation, working with the Adult Learning Committee and other congregational and community planning groups. She is a former chair of the Minneapolis Conservative Consortium (now the Twin Cities Conservative Consortium), which fosters adult Jewish learning among local Conservative congregations. She also serves on the planning committee of the Interfaith Conversations Project.

Nina is married to Earl Schwartz, a Jewish scholar and assistant professor at Hamline University. They have two children, Rafi and Miriam