High Holy Days 5786

Rabbi Avi Heller 

Joining us for the 2025 High Holy Days is our guest Rabbi, Rabbi Avi Heller. Rabbi Heller is originally from Denver, Colorado, and in his teenage years, he served as the Ba’al Koreh reading Torah for BMH-BJ. Rabbi Heller is currently the Director of the Manhattan Jewish Experience East, teaches Literature, History, and PPE (Politics, Philosophy, Economics) at several private schools in New Jersey, and collaborates with the Tikvah Lobell Center on curriculum development in classical Jewish education. He is also a scholar-in-residence at the Old Broadway Synagogue in Harlem. In previous roles, he has served as the COO of CharityChoice, a charitable gift card company; the NJ Regional Director of Synagogues for the Orthodox Union; the co-director of the OU’s Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus at Boston University; the Director of the Boca Raton Community Kollel; the Rabbi of the BRS West Synagogue; and a Bronfman Fellow at Hillel International. 

He received his BA from Boston University, rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University, and an MA in Bible from the Bernard Revel School of Graduate Studies. He, his wife Shira, and their three children live in Teaneck, NJ, where Avi enjoys word play, learning weird things, gardening, good coffee, and running and biking while listening to alternative rock.

Rabbi-Cantor Israel Gordan

Cantor and Rabbi Israel (Izzy) M. Gordan grew up in Longmeadow, MA, and attended Temple Beth El in Springfield with Rabbi Herbert Schwartz and Cantor Morton Shames. He was active in USY and attended Camp Raman in California as a camper, counselor, Rosh Edah, and adult staff member for many summers. Izzy graduated from Columbia College at Columbia University in New York City. After working for a few years, Izzy attended the Jewish Theological Seminary, earning a Master’s in Jewish Education, a Master of Sacred Music, and a Diploma of Hazzan. He then spent ten years as the full-time cantor at Huntington Jewish Center on Long Island before returning to JTS for rabbinical school, and he now lives in Jerusalem with his wife and three children. After leading 14 consecutive High Holidays at Huntington Jewish Center, Izzy is very excited to celebrate the holidays with the BMH-BJ Community!

Cantor Edan Tamler

We’re thrilled to welcome the former Chief Cantor of Denmark — and his wife, Rachel Tamler to BMH-BJ for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur! Cantor Tamler is a dynamic Israeli-American singer, songwriter, and educator who was a finalist on Israel’s X Factor and served as the lead singer in the IDF. Most recently, he led services in the UAE and now hopes to continue his Cantorial career in the U.S. while pursuing a PhD in psychology. Rachel Tamler, an educator in her own right, will also be offering a special class during the holidays.

Rabbi Shalom Lebowitz

Rabbi Shalom Lebowitz is a teacher, musician, and community builder devoted to sharing Torah, creativity, and spiritual connection. Originally from Boston, he studied in yeshivot in New Haven and Miami, received semicha, and later pursued economics at Bar Ilan University while mentoring gap-year students. His spiritual journey deepened in Tzfat, where he led music-infused programs, taught across all ages, co-founded the band Shefa, and created mystical musical walking tours and Galilee bike adventures. After October 7th, Rabbi Shalom, his wife Dalya, and their son traveled the U.S. bringing music and light to Jewish communities before settling in Denver. His vision is to foster joyful, soulful, and meaningful Jewish life that speaks to the heart, connects to nature and Torah, and resonates with future generations.

Rabbi Danny Wolfe

Danny Wolfe is a native Bronco-loving Denverite, graduated from DJDS, and then went to Brandeis, where he majored in Politics and Near Eastern and Judaic Studies. After Brandeis he went to Yeshiva University RIETS Semicha program, and spent the last two years of his semicha living in Jerusalem. In 2012, the Wolfes moved to Albany, where they ran Aish New York’s campus program at SUNY Albany. After three freezing years in Albany, they moved back to Denver in 2015. He is currently the Director of The Olami Denver Experience, the Young Professional Division of The Jewish Experience, teaches at  Denver Academy of Torah, and served as the rabbi on Shabbos at BMH-BJ’s Shaarei Simcha minyan for the past four years. In his free time, Rabbi Wolfe likes making and eating parve cholent, skiing, complaining about the Broncos, and long walks on the beach.