Meet Our Clergy
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In Gainesville, he met Jill, who he would marry when they returned from Israel after the first year of study at Hebrew Union College. While at the Cincinnati campus of HUC-JIR, Rabbi Birnholz served student pulpits in Billings, Montana, Columbus, Mississippi, and Marion, Ohio. The pulpit in Mississippi was a vital experience as this allowed him to return to his roots and work on his Thesis: The Cemetery in a Community’s Life, Death, and Afterlife: A Study of the Cemeteries of Extinct and Nearly Dissolved Jewish Communities in Mississippi and Louisiana. This research into the fragility and resilience of small community Judaism has been an interest and passion throughout Rabbi Birnholz’s life. Rabbi Birnholz has two college-aged children currently studying at the University of Florida and one child living and working in Boston, Massachusetts. He and his wife, Jill, reside in Safety Harbor. |
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Jeremy received a Bachelors of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of South Florida, in the studio of Annetta Y. Monroe. He also received a Masters of Music in choral/orchestral conducting under the baton of Maestro Robert Summer. Jeremy’s initial interest in scoring music for film and television led him to the commercial music scene, and his virtuosity on the piano and vocal skills made Jeremy a frequent session player at major studios across Florida. While continuing his musical journey, Jeremy has fostered an award-winning career as a theatrical Musical Director, having worked for a diverse list of theatre companies and a variety of talent. In addition, Jeremy has developed a reputation for quality contemporary voice coaching, music arranging, and producing. Here are some notable artist collaborations: Jon Secada, Katharine McPhee, Sarah Brightman, Patrick Wilson, Ann Reinking, Meg Aruffo, Elizabeth McLaughlin, Belinda Womack, Lindsey Graham, Corey Lista, Amanda Mason, and many more. |
 Rabbi Daniel Treiser z"l Rabbi Daniel Treiser joined the Temple B'nai Israel family as its rabbi in July 2008. Prior to coming to Clearwater, Rabbi Treiser served as the Associate Rabbi of Temple Kol Ami Emanu-El in Plantation, FL. He came to Florida in June 2000, following his ordination at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. Rabbi Treiser was born and raised in Queens, NY, and is a product of the Reform synagogue, youth and camp movements. While earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Queens College in NY in 1993, he worked with various youth groups and was a counselor and senior staff member at URJ Camp Eisner, the regional Reform Jewish camp. Upon graduation, Rabbi Treiser dedicated a year of his life to community service in Israel on Project Otzma, working in various communities throughout the country. When he returned to the States, Rabbi Treiser served as a Hillel program coordinator and Assistant Chaplain at Hofstra University and Adelphi University on Long Island before being accepted to the Hebrew Union College. After his first year of rabbinic study in Jerusalem, Rabbi Treiser went to the Los Angeles campus of HUC, where he earned his Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters in 1998. While there, he served as student rabbi of Temple Bat Yam in South Lake Tahoe, CA for two years, and was the Wexner Summer Rabbinic Intern at Sha'arei Am: The Santa Monica Synagogue. He also was a part of the Interfaith Chaplaincy Program at the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, CA. Upon transferring to the New York campus of HUC-JIR, Rabbi Treiser became the rabbinic intern for Temple Sinai of Bergen County in Tenafly, NJ. Inspired by the rabbis who taught him throughout his youth and served as the visiting faculty at summer camps, Rabbi Treiser committed his career to reaching out to Jewish youth, engaging them in creative and informal educational opportunities that demonstrate how Judaism can have a positive impact on their lives. He served on the rabbinic faculty of URJ Camp Coleman for more than ten years, and was a member of Coleman’s Clergy Advisory Board. He also served as a rabbinic advisor to the NFTY-STR, the regional Reform Jewish Youth Group. Rabbi Treiser shared his passion for Jewish learning with Temple and community members through a wide variety of Adult Education opportunities, and his love and commitment to the State of Israel by leading an ongoing series of congregational trips to Israel. In 2011, he contributed an article to the Union for Reform Judaism’s “Ten Minutes of Torah” Torah commentaries. On a community level, Rabbi Treiser was involved in a wide variety of activities. Within our own community, Rabbi Treiser was a member of the Pinellas County Board of Rabbis, was an active supporter of the Jewish Federation of Pinellas and Pasco Counties, the JCC Suncoast and Gulf Coast Jewish Children and Family Services, and participated in several different interfaith community programs. He also served for many years on the board of SEACCAR, the South East Association of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, working as Youth Committee Chair, Kallah Coordinator, Newsletter editor and Regional Vice President. Rabbi Treiser was married to Rachel, a Pinellas County Schools Kindergarten teacher with a Master's Degree in Elementary and Special Education. He was the proud father of Elana and Ethan. |
