Clergy
A graduate of Hiram College, Rabbi Siegel was ordained in 1982 by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America where he received his Master of Hebrew Letters. Rabbi Siegel came to Anshe Emet in 1982 as Assistant Rabbi and was named Senior Rabbi in 1990.
Rabbi Siegel is a dedicated leader in the Jewish community both locally and nationally. He serves on the Executive Council of the Rabbinical Assembly of America, the Jewish Theological Seminary’s Chancellor’s Rabbinic Cabinet and the Executive Board of Mazon: A Jewish Resource to Hunger. Rabbi Siegel is also a board member of the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago, on the Advisory Board of JLJS – The DePaul University College of Law Center for Jewish Law & Judaic Studies, a past President of the Chicago Board of Rabbis and active leader in the Florence G. Heller Jewish Community Center. In the past year, Rabbi Siegel has been appointed as the national Co-Chair of the Heksher Tzedek Commission. Through the use of the Magen Tzedek, the ethical Kosher seal, Heksher Tzedek promises to have a powerful impact on Kashrut in particular and American Jewry as a whole. More recently Rabbi Siegel helped to form the Hayom Coalition, an organization of synagogues committed to the transformation of institutions, and a re-envisioning of the Conservative Movement. Rabbi Siegel has been an avid supporter of AIPAC and a leader in the creation of their Synagogue Initiative. In the past few years, Rabbi Siegel has represented the synagogue at the White House on a number of occasions including the United States Honorary Delegation commemorating the 60th Anniversary of Israel’s Statehood.
As our Senior Rabbi, Michael Siegel is committed to the development of an open, caring and spiritual community. He seeks to further the historic role that the Anshe Emet Synagogue has played in Chicago and on the national Jewish scene.
Rabbi Michael Siegel and his wife, Janet have been blessed with four wonderful children: Joseph, Deena, Rebecca and Emma.
Click here to read Rabbi Siegel's sermons.
Contact Rabbi Siegel at 773-868-5110.
Hazzan Alberto Mizrahi - The Arnold H. Kaplan, M.D. Cantorial Chair
Greek-born tenor Albert Mizrahi, one of the world’s leading interpreters of Jewish music, is Hazzan of historic Anshe Emet Synagogue, Chicago. He has thrilled audiences worldwide in recitals, symphony concerts, and opera. His repertoire, spanning nine languages, makes his performances unique in the field.
He is featured on PBS television in CANTORS: a faith in song, and the PBS Hanukkah Special with Craig Taubman. He has performed and recorded with the legendary jazz pianist, Dave Brubeck and his quartet (“Gates of Justice”) for the Milken Archive on the Naxos label, and with the great Theodore Bikel (“Our Song”) for Opus Magica. He has also performed with major symphony orchestras throughout the United States, Europe and Israel, including the Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Houston, Haifa, Jerusalem, Barcelona, NDR-Hanover, Lithuanian National, Radio Television of Spain, Krakow, Warsaw and others.
Hazzan Mizrahi recently performed in front of two U.S. Presidents; G. W. Bush, at the White House Hanukkah celebration and Barack Obama, at the U. S. Capitol for Days of Remembrance. He also premiered and recorded “Kadysz” for its composer/conductor, Krzysztof Penderecki in Poland.
The 2010/2011season finds him at the Quebec Sacred Music Festival with his band, ZAHAV; as soloist in Lodz, Warsaw and Krakow Poland; as cantor for the ACDA Convention Friday night services in Chicago; and with the Saffron Caravan Ensemble in Chicago and the Kennedy Center DC; among many other concert appearances.
Highlights of his 2011/12 performances will include a debut appearance with Maestro Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra narrating the Schoenberg “Kol Nidre;” a return to Poland to perform with the Warsaw Philharmonic and Maestro Wit for two performances of Penderecki’s “Kadysz;” as well as collaborating with Roosevelt University at the Harris Theater in Thomas Beveridge’s “Yizkor Requiem” with the CCPA Orchestra and Chorus.
Hazzan Mizrahi is an officer of the Cantors Assembly, on the Board of the Zamir Choral Foundation, Advisory Board of Genesis at the Crossroads and on the faculty of the H.L. Miller Cantorial School-J.T.S., N.Y.
Mizrahi’s extensive discography numbers over 25 CDs including six for the Milken Archive on Naxos; plus FESTIVAL DELIGHTS; THE HIGH HOLY DAYS (with Schola Hebraeica); BIRTHDAY OF THE WORLD Iⅈ YIZKOR with the Afro-Semitic Experience; BIKEL & MIZRAHI: our song; ALBERTO MIZRAHI: My Song; ALBERTO MIZRAHI AT MENUHIN HALL;
He lives in Chicago with his wife, Deborah. Their daughter, Belina, received her MFA from Yale and lives in Philadelphia.
“Mizrahi was charismatic and fearless, unabashedly emotional… the tone full and golden…he held you spellbound….” London Times
“The hazzan here, often improvising with the soul-stretching intensity of John Coltrane, is the internationally renowned Alberto Mizrahi…” Nat Hentof – Wall Street Journal
Contact Hazzan Mizrahi at 773-868-5110.
Rabbi Matthew Futterman came to Anshe Emet from the Israel Center of Conservative Judaism in Flushing, NY. Prior to that, he worked in Ashkelon, Israel, where he lived with his wife, Chana and their two American-born children, Alon and Yael. While in Israel, he was the spiritual leader of Kehillat Netzach. The Futtermans' third child, Itamar, is a sabra like his mother.
Rabbi Futterman has been a pioneer of Masorti/Conservative Judaism in the State of Israel. Kehillat Netzach Yisrael is the leading Conservative congregation in Israel with a very diverse community of over 300 families, the majority of whom are Israeli.
Rabbi Futterman has successfully integrated different generations and the customs of various ethnic groups. He has also helped develop strong bonds between Israeli and American Jews. He has developed successful relationships with the Orthodox community as well as the Ashkelon city government. Utilizing his training in cross-cultural and family counseling, Rabbi Futterman has developed skills for working and communicating with new immigrants and congregants from all over the world. He was an active teacher in the synagogue and in the local public school system. Rabbi Futterman was the primary founder of Ashkelon's TALI educational program which adds Jewish content to the curricula of non-Orthodox Israeli schools. Having taught hundreds of TALI students, parents and teachers for years, he was appointed the official TALI Rabbi for several of Ashkelons elementary schools.
Prior to serving in Israel, Rabbi Futterman was the spiritual leader and educational director of Congregation Beth Ohr in New Jersey for four years. During this time, in the early 80s, he launched innovative programs such as a Shabbat learners minyan, a support group for mourners, and an interfaith couples group.
Rabbi Futterman has been a scholar-in-residence for the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism Greater Midwest Region and for the Jewish Theological Seminary Office of Development, Greater Detroit Region. He has been a guest speaker at congregations in the US and Canada. Over the past 30 years, Rabbi Futterman has served in almost all major educational capacities in the Camp Ramah system. He has taught at the Rabbinical School of the Schechter Institute for Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. In addition, he served as Dean of Students for Achva College in Israel.
Rabbi Futterman was the President of the Rabbinical Assembly of Israel from 1990-1992, and 2000-2002. He was the International Convention Chairman of the Rabbinical Assembly in February 2004. He has written articles on Conservative Judaism for several publications.
Rabbi Futterman grew up in Flushing, attended Temple Gates of Prayer and was an active USY member. His former teacher was the late Ritual Director at ICHM, Cantor Israel Hershkowitz, of blessed memory. He received his BA in Comparative Religion and Psychology and his MA and Master of Education in Counseling Psychology from Columbia University. He also received a BA and MA from the Jewish Theological Seminary with majors in Jewish History and Jewish Education. In his spare time, Rabbi Futterman enjoys old movies, baseball, concerts, museums and old time radio. Most of all he enjoys spending Shabbat and Yom Tov with his family and friends and looks forward to the friendships he will enjoy at Anshe Emet.
Contact Rabbi Futterman at 773-868-5116.
Growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, Rabbi Abe Friedman developed his deep love of Judaism and the Conservative movement through the nurturing and intellectually stimulating communities of his synagogue, Solomon Schechter day school, USY, Camp Ramah, and Nativ. These experiences led Rabbi Abe to the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, California where he also received an MBA in Nonprofit Management.
Rabbi Abe is married to Rebecca Krasner, and they have a three-year-old daughter, Odelia Sarah, who is a big fan of Shalom Shabbat and Kiddush Lunch. In the office, he divides his time between classic books of the Jewish tradition and classic rock on his electric guitar; when he’s not at Anshe Emet, he enjoys taking Odelia to the park or the beach, riding his bike, and eating pretty much any type of frozen dessert.
Contact Rabbi Friedman at 773-868-5145.
Rabbi David Russo
David Russo was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario. He graduated from Toronto’s York University with a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies, and is completing his rabbinical studies and a Master’s degree in Talmud and Rabbinics at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. David spent a year in Israel on the Nativ program, and again as a rabbinical student through JTS. He has spent his summers working with USY, Camp Ramah, Genesis at Brandeis University, and most recently as a group leader for American Jewish World Service’s Volunteer Summer in Uganda. He enjoys Jewish learning, community service, and most sports (basketball, baseball, frisbee, golf, and more).
Contact Rabbi Russo at 773-868-5127.
Debby Lewis, Ritual Director
Debby Lewis is a longtime member of the community. Debby began taking a more active role in 1999 when she became the regular leader of the Morning Minyan and began tutoring Bar and Bat Mitzvah students. At that time, Debby also began to study cantorial music under the tutelage of the Anshe Emet clergy.
Debby is a graduate of Northeastern Illinois University with a degree in Psychology. She spent eight years as a social worker, counseling troubled teenagers. She eventually sought a career in the business world and spent 13 years as the office manager at Altman Machinery Company.
Debby brings with her a strong background in both organizational skills and dealing with people, as well as a genuine love of music. Her long-term goal is to someday become a cantor.
Contact Debby Lewis at 773-868-5113.