- 1500 Hagys Ford Road, Penn Valley, PA 19072
- (610) 667-5000
- hzt@harziontemple.org
Rabbi Haaz, ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, is committed to meeting people where they are in their Jewish practice and helping them develop comfort and vocabulary to discuss God, spirituality, and the miracles and mysteries of life. Through compassionate, skilled listening and reflection, he encourages and inspires others to discover who they are and live in alignment with their core values. Rabbi Haaz teaches and champions that every person is capable of deep Jewish learning, meaningful prayer, and significant impact. He brings unique creativity to re-envision ritual and prayer experiences to meet the needs of contemporary Jews and cultivate a heightened awareness of and thankfulness for each moment of our shared existence.
Before joining Har Zion in 2018, Rabbi Haaz was blessed to serve Congregation Adath Israel in Middletown, CT. There he was active with the Ethics Committee at Middlesex Hospital and American Jewish World Service and positioned Adath Israel as a community leader in interfaith and interracial relations. He was also a regular guest on WMRD and WESU radio stations. For his leadership and impact, the mayor of Middletown awarded Rabbi Haaz with a key to the city. Prior to his ordination, Rabbi Haaz served Congregation Sons of Israel in Amsterdam, NY, whose warmth and love of Judaism has forever shaped him.
Rabbi Haaz has extensive pastoral experience, having completed over 800 hours of Clinical Pastoral Education. He gained additional pastoral experience as a Chaplain Candidate Program Officer in the U.S. Navy, completing his training in Italy and Spain counseling enlisted and officers of various faiths.
Here at Har Zion, Rabbi Haaz has reimagined High Holy Day services, redesigned the delivery of religious school education, and rewrote the B’nei Mitzvah experience. Rabbi Haaz is an emerging leader in Black-Jewish Clergy Bible Study on both local and national levels. He is a fellow in The Clergy Leadership Incubator and excited about budding partnerships with Jewish Grandparents Network and Bridlewild Trails Association. Rabbi Haaz is grateful for the incredibly talented and dedicated staff and lay leaders with whom he is fortunate to dream and build Jewish community.
Rabbi Haaz’s article, “K’hillot M’khabbdot: A Response to the Baby Boom Generation through a Reclamation of the Mitzvah of Kibbud Av Va’eim,” was published in Conservative Judaism.
If you would like to connect with Rabbi Haaz, please email him at rabbihaaz@harziontemple.org.
Descended from performing vaudevillian grandparents on one side, and off-the-boat Eastern European orthodox Jews on the other, Cantor Randy Herman seemed destined to integrate the worlds of musical performance and Judaism.
After growing up in Grand Rapids, MI, and attending the University of Michigan, he worked briefly as an actor before pursuing music full time. As a pianist/singer/songwriter, he performed live and in the studio in a wide variety of contexts, both in the U.S. and abroad.
His cantorial training includes a year of study in Jerusalem, where he sang in the Great Synagogue choir, and a Masters degree/cantorial investiture from the Jewish Theological Seminary in NY. He served as the cantor of Bet Torah in Westchester County, NY from 2007-2020, and most recently, as the cantor of Chizuk Amuno Congregation and Schools in Baltimore.
Cantor Herman and his wife Nicole are the proud parents of Kaya and Donovan.
You can reach him at cantorherman@harziontemple.org, or 610-667-5000, ext 102.
Among his many duties Dr. Levine will lead the morning and evening minyanim, read Torah, provide day-to-day kashrut supervision for the synagogue, tutor our Bar/Bat Mitzvah children and guide them in writing divrei Torah, and offer Shabbat teachings from the bimah. Additionally, we look forward to Dr. Levine’s scholarship and enthusiasm continuing to enhance our Adult Education program and have an impact upon all ages within our community.
If you would like to contact Dr. Levine, please call the synagogue office at 610-667-5000 ext. 103 or elevine@harziontemple.org.
Hazzan Eliot I. Vogel came to Har Zion Temple in 1991 having previously served congregations in Connecticut and New Jersey. His distinguished predecessor, Hazzan Isaac Wall, served Har Zion Temple for 46 years. Growing up in Connecticut, Hazzan Vogel’s roots were firmly planted in the Conservative movement through years of involvement in United Synagogue Youth and Camp Ramah. He is a graduate of Boston University (B.A. in music cum laude) and the Miller Cantorial School (formerly Cantors Institute) of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America where he was awarded the Putterman Prize for Hazzanic Excellence.
Hazzan Vogel has served on the faculties of the Miller Cantorial School at JTS as well as at Gratz College. He is an active member of the Cantors Assembly, serving both its national board and as president of the Delaware Valley Region of the CA. He has served on the board of directors of Nashirah, the Jewish Chorale of Greater Philadelphia since its inception in 2005.
A lyric baritone, Hazzan Vogel has had a diverse array of performing experiences beyond the pulpit. A former fellow of the Aspen Music Festival, Hazzan Vogel has appeared as soloist with both Jewish (Zamir Chorale of Boston, Zamir Chorale of New York, The National Jewish Chorale) and various non-Jewish choral groups performing symphonic works, oratorio and other sacred works. He has presented premieres of dramatic and liturgical by Samuel Adler, Andrea Clearfield, Charles Davidson, Robert Ross and Hugo Weisgal.
Hazzan Vogel is married to Karen Vogel. They have three daughters Alisa Fox (Chaim), Adina Vogel Ayalon (Yonatan), Davida (Matan Ayash) and five grandchildren.
If you would like to contact Hazzan Vogel, please call the synagogue office at 610-667-5000 or cevogel@harziontemple.org.