Clergy | Professional Staff | Education Staff | Administrative Staff | Officers

Clergy : Rabbi Joseph H. Krakoff

Rabbi Joseph H. Krakoff came to Shaarey Zedek in 1998 after receiving his rabbinic ordination and a Master’s Degree in Hebrew Letters from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. In 1994 Rabbi Krakoff received a Masters of Hebrew letters from the University of Judaism in Los Angeles for his thesis entitled: “Getting Divorced Families More Involved in Synagogue Life”. He completed his undergraduate education at Bucknell University in Lewisberg, Pennsylvania and received his Bachelor’s degree in Comparative World Religions and Political Science. During his years at Bucknell, Rabbi Krakoff spent a semester serving as a White House Intern in the Office of National Service helping research and replicate social action initiatives throughout the United States.

Rabbi Krakoff is a recent graduate of the Kellogg School of Management – Jewish Leaders Inaugural class. He is the current President of the Michigan Board of Rabbis and the immediate Past President of the Rabbinical Assembly- Michigan Region. Rabbi Krakoff currently serves on the Boards of Mercaz, Hillel Day School, Jewish National Fund, Jewish Community Relations Council, St. John’s Home Care.  AIPAC National Council, JTS Rabbinic Leadership Council, and the Jewish Hospice and Chaplaincy Network Community Advisory Board. He is deeply involved with Federation and sits on their Board of Governors, as well as serving on the Hermelin-Davidson Center for Congregation Excellence. Rabbi Krakoff a Rabbinic co-chair of the 2008 & 2005 Family Mission to Israel. Rabbi Krakoff serves in an advisory capacity to the American Jewish Committee which he has done since 2003 and is also on the Family Circle Planning Committee.

Rabbi Krakoff enjoys playing tennis, watching baseball, traveling, and being with his wife Susan and three children. Susan is a Jewish educator and B’nai Mitzvah tutor here at Shaarey Zedek, having received her Master’s Degree in Jewish Education from the University of Judaism. Atara, Micah, and Elan all attend Hillel Day School.
To email Rabbi Krakoff, click here



Clergy : Rabbi Irwin Groner, Emeritus

Rabbi Irwin Groner came to Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Detroit in 1959 as assistant to Rabbi Morris Adler, of blessed memory. Rabbi Groner endeared himself to the leaders and members of the congregation with his integrity, wisdom, warmth and brilliant mind. He was named senior rabbi in 1967. In 1978, he was elected Rabbi of the Congregation for life. A gifted orator, Rabbi Groner served the congregation with great distinction for over 40 years. In the Fall of 2003, Rabbi Groner was granted the honorary title of Rabbi Emeritus.

He served as President of the Rabbinical Assembly (an international group of rabbis) from 1990 – 1992. He served as chairman of the Governing Board of the “Etz Chayim”, the one-volume Torah Commentary that was recently produced for the Conservative Movement by the Rabbinical Assembly and the Jewish Publication Society.

Rabbi Groner has been a member of The Board of Governors of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, the Rabbinic Cabinet of the United Jewish Appeal and the Board of Governors of the United Synagogue. He served as chairman of the Rabbinical Assembly Conventions of 1976 and 1977, was co-chairman of the National Youth Commission of the United Synagogue from 1972-1976 and vice-president of the Jewish Community Council of Detroit from 1974-1976. He was also a president of the Michigan Board of Rabbis.
In 1984, Michigan Governor James Blanchard appointed him the first clergyman to serve on the State's Judicial Tenure Commission, and subsequently served as its vice-chairman. Rabbi Groner has been actively involved in programs of interfaith dialogue in the Metropolitan Detroit Community.

 Rabbi Groner holds degrees from the University of Chicago and the Hebrew Theological College of Chicago, where he was ordained. His first pulpit was in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he served as Rabbi of Agudath Achim Congregation. In 1982, he received an Honorary Doctorate from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America for his outstanding service to the synagogue, the Conservative Movement and to K’lal Yisrael.

 Rabbi Groner recently published a book which contains some of his High Holiday Sermons, entitled “Renewing Jewish Faith.” His sermons, essays and articles have been published in periodicals of the Conservative Movement. Additionally, he writes a monthly column for the Detroit Jewish News on the weekly Torah portion.

Leypsa Groner, an accomplished pianist, attended Roosevelt University, where she majored in music. Through the years, she volunteered her services at many synagogue events. Rabbi Groner and Leypsa continue to maintain a strong interest in the life and welfare of their beloved congregation.

Rabbi and Leypsa, are the parents of Judges David and Amy Groner, Dr. Joel Groner, and the late Debbie Groner.
 To email Rabbi Groner click here



Clergy : Rabbi Aaron Starr, Director of Education and Youth

Rabbi Aaron Starr, a native of Troy, Michigan, received from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion a Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters in 2003 and rabbinic ordination in 2004. During his tenure at HUC-JIR, Rabbi Starr served as spiritual leader of congregations in Kokomo, Indiana; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Dayton, Ohio. In addition, he co-led the HUC-JIR Youth Programs Department and received certification in Clinical and Pastoral Education from Cincinnati’s Christ Hospital. A summary of Rabbi Starr’s rabbinical thesis, “Tradition vs. Modernity: The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards (CJLS) and Conservative Halachah” was published in the Fall 2005 journal of Conservative Judaism. Rabbi Starr is the recipient of the 2003 Rabbi Frederick C. Schwartz Prize, given to the rabbinical student who made the most significant contribution to Jewish youth, and the 2004 Dr. Frank Rosenthal Biennial Award recipient for his paper “God, the Covenant, and the Jewish People: An Analysis of Post-Holocaust Theology. From 2004 to 2008, Rabbi Starr served as director of lifelong learning at Congregation Shir Tikvah in Troy, Michigan, leading Shir Tikvah to earn the 2005 URJ Congregation of Learners’ award.

A 1999 graduate of the University of Michigan, Rabbi Starr achieved a dual-concentration in political science and Hebrew and Jewish cultural studies. He believes that in creating the world, God created Jerusalem first but immediately thereafter created the University of Michigan’s “Big House,” and blessed the U-M Wolverines. And God saw all that He made and found it very good.

Rabbi Starr is currently the president of the Metropolitan Detroit Board of Jewish Educators. He is the author of two books published by the URJ Press: A Taste of Hebrew (2005), a teach-yourself-Hebrew book for adults, and the forthcoming Blood and Lust in the Bible (2008) textbook for high school students. In addition to learning and teaching, Rabbi Starr loves to play tennis and basketball; to strum the guitar; and to help children, adults, and families fall in love with Jewish tradition and ritual.

Rabbi Starr met his wife, Rebecca, while they were both students at the University of Michigan. He was a senior and Rebecca was in the first year of her Masters’ program in social work and Jewish communal service. Both teachers in Ann Arbor’s Temple Beth Emeth religious school’s sixth grade, they were told to get together to “discuss curriculum” by Beth Emeth’s director of education, Terri Ginsburgh. Rebecca and Rabbi Starr have been “discussing curriculum” ever since, and Terri takes great credit in having set the two of them up. In 2007 Rebecca gave birth to the Starrs’ son, Caleb Yishai, who is their greatest joy in life. Rebecca and Rabbi Starr feel incredibly blessed, honored, and privileged to be part of the Shaarey Zedek family. To email Rabbi Starr, click here.

Purchase Rabbi Starr’s book, Taste of Hebrew here.


Clergy : Cantor Meir Finkelstein

Cantor Finkelstein was born in Israel in 1951 into a cantorial family. When his father, the late Cantor Zvi Finkelstein, accepted a cantorial position in London, England in 1955, the family emigrated. Meir showed outstanding musical abilities at an early age, and along with his older brother, Aryeh, was soon accompanying his father at services.

A year after his bar mitzvah, Meir was appointed cantor at a small synagogue in Glasgow, Scotland, becoming the youngest cantor in Europe. Along with his father and brother, he recorded two albums of original liturgical music which
were subsequently released in the States.

At age 18, Meir took up the position of hazzan at one of London's most prestigious congregations, Golders Green Synagogue. While serving this congregation, he also completed his musical education, graduating from the Royal College of Music and receiving an ARCM degree in Singing, Piano and Composition. A few years later, he emigrated to the United States to become cantor at Beth Hillel Congregation in Wilmette, Illinois.

In 1979, Cantor Finkelstein moved to California, where he served as cantor at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles for 18 years. During this time he composed over 100 settings for the liturgy. He is one of the best-documented composers of contemporary Jewish music, and his compositions, in particular "L'dor Vador," are sung in synagogues throughout the world. Additionally, he has collaborated with Steven Spielberg, composing music for the Visual History Foundation's award-winning documentary, "Survivors of the Holocaust."

In 1995, Cantor Finkelstein premiered his "Liberation" cantata - a large-scale orchestral and choral work written for the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camps - at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and many well-known soloists, and hosted by Billy Crystal.

Cantor Finkelstein is also in great demand as a producer and arranger and has collaborated on many of his colleagues' albums. He was one of the "Three Cantors," along with Alberto Mizrahi and David Propis, concertizing in the U.S. to sold-out audiences.

For the three years before he arrived at CSZ, Meir served as cantor at Beth Tzedec Congregation in Toronto, Canada, the largest Conservative Synagogue in the world.
Meir and his wife Monica have two children, Noah 7, and Emily, 6. He also has two grown children in Los Angeles, Nadia and Adam.

Three of the cantor's CDs are available for $20 purchase at the synagogue. All proceeds are used to help the less fortunate in our community. To email Cantor Finkelstein click here            To access Cantor Finklestein's website.


Clergy : Cantor Chaim Najman, Emeritus

Cantor Chaim Najman served with warmth and devotion as sh’liach tzibbur of our congregation from 1979-2006. He then spent a sabbatical year in Israel, teaching students of the H.L. Miller Cantorial School of the Jewish Theological Seminary in Jerusalem.

A multi-talented hazzan, his musical programs, concerts and special events have received national recognition.

Cantor Najman served as president of the Cantors Assembly of America from 1999-2000, and currently serves on its Executive Council. He chaired the 53rd National Convention of the Cantors Assembly in May, 2002, in Detroit, hosting five hundred cantors from across North America.
He also edited two guides to the book, Mahzor 101 for the Sabbath and Festival Prayer Book, published by the Cantors Assembly.

In 2002, Cantor Najman was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Music by the Jewish Theological Seminary. In 2005, he received the Samuel Rosenbaum Award for excellence and creativity in the cantorate.

In May of that same year, he and his wife, Dr. Sherrell Najman, received the Israel Independence Award from the State of Israel Bonds.

The Najmans are the parents of Yehuda and Dr. Naomi Najman, Drs. Hindy Najman and Paul Franks, Dina and James Najman-Licht, Cantor Daniel and Aviva Najman. The Najmans are the proud grandparents of 10 grandchildren.
To email Cantor Najman, click here

Clergy : Leonard Gutman, Assistant Cantor

Assistant Cantor Leonard Gutman, born in Detroit, has been with Congregation Shaarey Zedek since August, 2000. Assistant Cantor Gutman received his Jewish education at Yeshiva Beth Yehudah and graduated Wayne State University in 1972 with a B.A. in History.

Assistant Cantor Gutman started attending Shaarey Zedek on Chicago Blvd.  When his family moved to Ahavas Achim, he was tapped for the Cantor’s Club and the rest is history. Assistant Cantor Gutman has had the benefit of being under the tutelage of several Chazzanim in Detroit area. Namely Chazzanim Simon Bermanis(z’l), Max Shimansky(z’l) , Chaim Najman and currently Meir Finkelstein as well as Rev. Joseph Baras who expertly taught him to read Torah.

Assistant Cantor Gutman leads our morning and evening services and reads Torah at minyan as well as on Shabbat and on holidays. A participant in the congregation’s lifecycle events, he also helps guide our B’nai Mitzvah  families and leads shiva minyans.

With his love for Judaism paramount, Assistant Cantor Gutman married his wife Sandra who shared his passion for Yiddishkeit. With six children, a son-in-law and 2 grandchildren between them, l’dor vador is a living concept that is shared with the Shaarey Zedek family. Currently, son David is the Torah reader at our B’nai Israel campus.

Assistant Cantor Gutman knows everyone’s name-English and Hebrew-the names of their family members and carries a long history with our membership.

To email Assistant Cantor Gutman click here.

Clergy | Professional Staff | Education Staff | Administrative Staff | Officers