Rabbi Mark Goodman: Leader With an Open Mind

When Rabbi Mark Goodman was a child in Rockland County, New York, he and his family would attend Temple Beth El, where he went to religious schools on Sundays and had his bar mitzvah. 

Like many Jews, after he celebrated his bar mitzvah, he drifted away from religion. For many years, he was not observant. 

But when it came time for him to find a daycare for his child, he looked at different synagogues and started attending Friday night services at Valley Beth Israel (VBI) in Sun Valley. 

“I enjoyed the services and found they grounded me and helped me navigate a hectic world,” said Goodman. 

The synagogue didn’t have a cantor, so Goodman asked the rabbi if he could help lead the singing. From there, he discovered he loved leading the Friday night songs during services. 

Goodman began studying privately with cantors Sam Fordis and Baruch Cohon. In 2000, when he auditioned for a cantorial position at VBI, they hired him immediately. 

After two years there, the congregation needed a new rabbi but was unable to find a good fit. “I approached the synagogue board with a deal to send me to rabbinical school in exchange for a long-term contract,” said Goodman. “Since the synagogue already liked me, and the financial arrangement to the synagogue was so favorable, they agreed to send me to rabbinical school and have me serve as both rabbi and cantor.”

Goodman, who is also executive director and principal singer for the Landmark Opera Company in North Hollywood, attended the Academy for Jewish Religion, where he was ordained as both a cantor and a rabbi. When he first started as the rabbi, VBI was Conservadox, which was the synagogue’s tradition since it was founded in 1948. 

However, over time, the demographics of the area changed as the Jewish population moved to Encino and Tarzana. To attract congregants and keep up with the times, Goodman decided to become more open-minded and not put a label on the synagogue, which has 80 families. Today, it is independent. 

“I became fed up with the walls we Jews use to separate us from one another,” he said. “Are you Reform? Conservative? Reconstructionist? Orthodox? There is great beauty within each of the movements, and each movement has made important contributions to the whole. I prefer to celebrate the whole rather than tear it up into small pieces.”

As a result, he asked his board to turn the synagogue into an independent one that welcomes all Jews and inspires a closer relationship to the Holy One, “regardless of where they position themselves on the Jewish spectrum,” he said. “We have mostly non-traditional services on Friday nights and traditional services on Shabbat morning. Instead of sermons, I present our tradition, history and theology and open the floor for discussion.”

Goodman feels comfortable leading the services – along with singing opera, he was an actor when he was younger, so being in the spotlight is easy. What he enjoys the most is educating others about Judaism, which he’s had the chance to do at the Whizin Center of the AJU, where he teaches Talmud and Midrash, and through Adat Ari El’s adult education program.  

“I love to teach our tradition, and my role as lecturer is very fulfilling,” he said. 

He is also honored to be able to help out others, especially during a time of crisis. “Life can present significant challenges — physical pain, emotional trauma and mental distress,” he said. “People get up in the morning, put a smile on their face and do the best they can to get through the day. The Holy One calls on us to present the best version of ourselves every day and respond to everyone with kindness and compassion wherever we are because we never know what someone is going through.”

For Goodman, Judaism is just as open-minded as he is, and there is something in it for everyone, no matter what their personal beliefs about the religion. 

“Our texts present many different ideas about God and related matters,” he said. “For instance, if you believe that your soul will be resurrected after death, we have that in our texts. If you believe that your body returns to the earth and your soul returns to God, we also have that in our texts. And if you believe we are reincarnated after death, we have that too.”

“There is a wide spectrum of how Jews express their Judaism. It is not one size fits all. My goal is to help each person find the expression that best fits their life and best connects them to God.”

He continued, “As a Jew, you can choose what you believe as long as it is found in one of our authoritative texts. As for practice, as you know, there is a wide spectrum of how Jews express their Judaism. It is not one size fits all. My goal is to help each person find the expression that best fits their life and best connects them to God.”

Fast Takes With Mark Goodman

Jewish Journal: What is your favorite opera? 

Mark Goodman: “La Boheme.” The music is glorious and Marcelo is a great role to sing and act.

JJ: How about your favorite Jewish food?

MG: Matzah ball soup and chopped chicken liver, although I don’t eat the chicken liver too often for health reasons.

JJ: If you weren’t a rabbi, what would you be? 

MG: I would have probably gone into some financial field. I love learning about investments and the financial markets. 

JJ: What’s your perfect Shabbat look like?

MG: This is my one day off, so I guard it jealously. After services, I enjoy sitting by the pool in the spring and summer and just relaxing and being a dad.