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BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Dorit Ben-Gal
Dayna Elfont
Sara Gold
Carol Goldsmith
Howard Himelhoch
Jennifer V. Kurland
Max Lark
Sarah Markowitz
Angela Petersen-Ernst
Karen Strichartz
Elaine Fieldman, Immediate Past President
EXECUTIVE BOARD
VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP
Cathy Radner, President
Cathy and her husband, Russell Linden, have been Temple members for thirty years. Their two daughters went through our school program and celebrated their B’Mitzvah at the congregation. Both daughters believe that going through the study, preparation and presentation at their B’Mitzvah were tremendous experiences. Cathy is a retired health care attorney, a long time trustee of Machpaleh Cemetery, and has previously served on other boards.
Marc Sackin, Vice-President
Marc and his wife Erin have been members of the congregation since 2013. Their two sons are in the Spinoza Program and their daughter Abigail celebrated her bat mitzvah in March 2024. Marc grew up in New York. He received his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. Marc is a principal attorney of the law firm Starr Sackin PLLC, where his practice areas include litigation and family law. He has formerly served on the board of the Lapeer County branch of Habitat for Humanity and currently volunteers by coaching his sons at the Bloomfield Baseball League.
Alan Levy, Treasurer
Alan Levy has been working in the position of Treasurer for the last several months and is currently guiding the Finance Committee’s development of a proposed 2025-26 budget. In this role he also serves on the Executive Committee and the Investment Committee and co-chairs the recently created Building 5 Year Task Force. As Treasurer, he has spearheaded the revamp of the Finance Committee Report to make it easier for the Board of Trustee to use. Prior to his current role, he co-chaired the Membership Committee with a focus on developing cost-effective recruitment mechanisms, integrating the newer families to retain our increased membership numbers, and during his first term, co-created the recommendations to the board for the change in dues structure and the congregation’s name. Alan is married to Libby Lillian-Pachota Levy and they have two children, Elyse, age 14, and Jake, age 12, who both celebrated their B'Mitzvah at the congregation.
Mary Monahan, Secretary
Mary began attending the Birmingham Temple in 2015 and became a member in 2020 after first engaging with a secular humanist group. Through the Social Justice Committee, she has helped raise funds. Secular Humanism is a central cause for her, as she believes it provides community and purpose for those—especially younger people—who are less connected to organized religion. Mary works as a psychologist specializing in geriatric and complex medical populations, holding a Ph.D. from the University of Detroit Mercy and a Master’s from the University of Michigan Dearborn. A member of the International Association of Psychology & Counseling, she stays active in research and professional learning. She is also involved with the Freedom from Religion Foundation and VegMichigan, reflecting her commitment to secularism and vegetarianism. In her free time, she enjoys reading science, traveling, spending time outdoors, and practicing barre workouts.