Eileen Hamilton was born and raised in Allentown, PA., Eileen received her Bachelor of Arts from State University of New York - the College at New Paltz. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Jewish Studies. She has completed Masters Degree work at George Washington University and the College of Jewish Studies in Rockville, MD.
As Religious School teacher at Congregation Ahavath Achim, New Paltz, NY; Tifereth Israel Congregation, Washington, DC; and Beth El Hebrew Congregation, Alexandria, VA, Eileen developed her love for education and her creative ability to instill a love of Judaism in children. In 1993, Eileen joined the Touro family as the Director of Education at Touro Synagogue and has grown our Religious School into the best synagogue Religious School in the metropolitan area where kids beginning with Pre-K age are remaining in school until their 10th grade Confirmation Class. Eileen is an active member of the National Association of Temple Educators (NATE), where she serves on the board and the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE). Locally, she serves as past chair and member of the Educators Council of Greater New Orleans. She is married to Larry Hamilton and has two children Todd and PJ.
Leigh S. Goodman
Leigh Goodman began on April 16, 2008 as Touro Synagogue’s Executive Director. He moved to New Orleans in December 2004 to work for Centerplate at the Louisiana Superdome & New Orleans Arena in a catering operational management capacity, most recently as Sr. Catering Operations Manager. He has previous experience as Area Manager and Director of Development for the American Diabetes Association and Alzheimer’s Association in Omaha, Nebraska.
Leigh is originally from Philadelphia where he was very active with his synagogue, Temple Beth Hillel/Beth El and many of the Jewish community institutions. He attended Camp Ramah in the Poconos each summer and received teaching certification from Gratz College. In addition, he was a Religious School teacher for 10 years. During his seven years in Omaha, Leigh was active on boards and committees of several non-profit organizations. He continued his active participation in the Jewish community by participating on the Jewish Federation Super Sunday committee and as a member and Religious School teacher at Temple Israel.
Upon his arrival in New Orleans, Leigh joined Touro Synagogue and has been active with committees of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans including Super Sunday and the Young Adult Division’s Social Action Committee. Leigh Goodman’s passion for Judaism, combined with his jovial personality and business experience, makes him a great fit for our congregation, and he is looking forward to meeting each of you in the coming months. We are thrilled to welcome Leigh to our staff.
Rabbi David Goldstein
David S. Goldstein, who is married with two children and two granddaughters, was born in Princeton, New Jersey and received his higher education at Miami University of Ohio and the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), where he was ordained a rabbi. In 1974 he received the degree of Ph.D. (cum laude) from St. Mary's Seminary and University of Baltimore, in consortium with the Baltimore Hebrew University. In 1990 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree by HUC-JIR.
Following ordination in 1965, Rabbi Goldstein served as a chaplain in the U.S. Navy and was stationed in Japan. Upon his release from active duty in 1968 he became Associate Rabbi of the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation. In 1970 he was elected Senior Rabbi of that congregation. Rabbi Goldstein came to Touro Synagogue in New Orleans in 1978. He has served on the faculty of Tulane University since arriving in New Orleans and is Adjunct Professor of Jewish Studies. His courses include: The Jews of Moslem Spain; The Jews of Christian Spain; Jewish Life and Thought in the Renaissance and the Age of Reason; American Judaism; Rashi; Halevi and Maimonides.
Rabbi Goldstein has published many articles in scholarly journals and was the recipient of the Max Maccoby Fellwship awarded by HUC-JIR for advanced studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He was also awarded the Haim Greenberg Scholarship for studies in Israel. He has served on numerous organizational and institutional boards, currently including the Board of Alumni Overseers of the Hebrew Union College and the World Governing Body of the World Union for Progressive Judaism. He is past chairman of the Central Conference of American Rabbi's (CCAR) Committee on Eastern European Jewry.
Additionally, he has served as a national officer of the National Conference on Soviet Jewry, and for five years as Chairman of the Community Relations Committee (CRC) of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans and on the Executive Committee of the Federation.He has served a President of the Southwest Council of the CCAR. He is chairman of the JWB Jewish Chaplains Council and served on the ad hoc committee of the CCAR which planned a major study mission to Spain in 1992. He conducted scholarly programs at the 1992 Annual Convention of the CCAR as well as at UAHC regional conventions.
In November 1981, and again in 1983 and 1986, he and his wife, Shannie, traveled to the Soviet Union where they visited with hundreds of Jewish Refuseniks. They helped to organize secret classes and meetings advancing Jewish and Hebrew studies and music. Rabbi Goldstein is retired as chaplain in the Navy Reserve where he holds the rank of Captain. In 1977 he was awarded the Distinguished Citizen of Maryland Citation and in 1999 was the recipient of the Weiss Award from the National Conference. In 1998 he was the narrator with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra for Leonard Berstein's "Kaddish" Symphony Number Three; in 2003 he narrated Schoenberg's "Survivor from Warsaw", again with the LPO and again under the baton of Klauspeter Seibel.
