About Us

Meet the Professional Staff

Rabbi Ronald Shapiro, D.D., Senior Rabbi

Rabbi Ronald M. Shapiro, D.D. was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He attended the University of Minnesota, receiving his B.A. in 1969. He attended the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he received a Master of Arts degree in Hebrew Letters. He was ordained a rabbi in 1974.

Rabbi Shapiro's activities extend into the community at large. He is an adjunct professor of contemporary Judaism at Cardinal Stritch College, a member of the editorial board for Seasons, An Ecumenical Journal on the Family, an interfaith journal, and a board member of the Interfeaith Conference, a major ecumenical agency in the greater Milwaukee area.

Rabbi Shapiro served Temple B'Rith Kodesh in Rochester, NY, prior to his arrival in Milwaukee in 1978. Rabbi Shapiro also is past-president of the Midwest Association of Reform Rabbis and the Wisconsin Council of Rabbis. He is a member of the Rabbinic Cabinet of United Jewish Appeal. In addition, he is past co-chair of the Catholic Jewish Conference and co-chair of the Rabbi/Priest Dialogue. He is a board member of the Milwaukee Jewish Council and the B'nai Brith Youth Organization. Under his direction, Congregation Shalom as co-ordinated several meal programs and social action activities to assist needy individuals.

Rabbi Shapiro is married to the former Judith London of Duluth, Minnesota. They have three sons, Benjamin, Ari, and Daniel.

Rabbi Shapiro can be reached at:
eleanor@cong-shalom.org

Rabbi Noah Chertkoff

Rabbi Noah Chertkoff joins Shalom after three years as the Assistant, then Associate Rabbi of Temple Kol Ami Emanu-El in Plantation Flordia. A native of Toronto, Canada, he graduated from York University with a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies. He received his Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters and Rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion on May 31, 2008 from the Cincinnati campus.

Before entering rabbinical school, Rabbi Chertkoff worked at Seeds of Peace International Camp which is dedicated to empowering young leaders from regions of conflict with the leadership skills required to advance reconciliation and coexistence, served as a Special Assistant to a Federal Cabinet Minister in the Canadian Government and worked as the National Social Action Coordinator for the Canadian Council for Reform Judaism.

As a student Rabbi, he has served both Reform and Conservative congregations in Cincinnati, Ohio, Billings, Montana, and Toledo, Ohio. Rabbi Chertkoff has been involved in youth programming, through his participation with NFTY as a mechanech (tour guide and educator) in Israel and worked as a program coordinator at Camp Coleman. He also enjoyed teaching at the Academy of Adult Interfaith Studies at HUC-JIR.

His volunteer activities throughout the years have included his involvement in ARZA, Habitat for Humanity, NaMeRes (Street Help Direct Response to Homelessness), the Interfaith Social Assistance Coalition, and the Maquila Solidarity Network. Rabbi Chertkoff served as a board member of SEACCAR, the South Eastern Assembly of the Central Conference of America Rabbis and was a member of the Broward Board of Rabbis. He loves to bike, sail, canoe, hike, camp and play guitar (badly), watch baseball and hockey with his wife Lauren Berger and their dog Kaiah.

Rabbi Chertkoff can be reached at:
rabbinoah@cong-shalom.org

Cantor Karen Berman

Cantor Karen Berman has had the joy of being a part of Congregation Shalom since 1987. In addition to her vocal cantorial duties she directs Shalom's Youth Choir, teaches music in the Religious School, and offers classes in the Department of Life Long Learning for the Synagogue.  Central to her duties is coordinating and teaching in the B’nai Mitzvah Tutorial program.  Cantor Berman participates in the heartbeat of congregational life at weddings, baby namings, B’nai Mitzvah, and funerals.

Cantor Karen Berman has long been involved in the Milwaukee Jewish community, organizing and performing music for the Community Woman's Seder and Rosh Chodesh programs, participating in a variety of concerts and programs, including the Annual Chanukah concert with the Milwaukee Jewish Community Chorale.  Additionally, she is often a programming liaison to the Interfaith Community.

Beyond her contributions in the area of music, she has also been honored as an educator in the community.  She has received the Milwaukee Association for Jewish Education's prestigious "Educator of the Year Award," as well as recognition from the Keshet of Wisconsin program for her efforts on behalf of students with exceptional needs.

She has been a guest soloist with the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra and has appeared in a Public Television special "To Thee We Sing: Music in American Religion." Among her credits are solo and ensemble performances on stage and in worship at several national conventions of the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE), the American Conference of Cantors (ACC) and the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) Biennial.  Cantor Berman became a full member of the American Conference of Cantors in 1998, following five years as an associate member.  

Karen's family includes husband Elliot and children, Sam and Hannah.

Cantor Berman can be emailed at:
monica@cong-shalom.org.

Linda Holifield, Executive Director

Linda Holifield became Congregation Shalom’s Executive Director on July 1, 2011. Born in Newark, New Jersey, Linda attended college at the University Of Wisconsin-Madison. She received a BS degree in Rehabilitation Education in 1974, an MS degree in Rehabilitation Counseling in 1976, and an MBA degree in 1990.

Prior to becoming Congregation Shalom’s Executive Director, Linda was actively involved as a lay leader. She was the temple’s President from July 2010-July 2011, and, before that she served as a Vice President from July 2007 to June 2009. She has been a member of Congregation Shalom’s Board since 2005.

For the past 16 months, Linda worked at the Milwaukee Jewish Day School as their Marketing and Development Coordinator. Prior to that, she was the Executive Director at the Center for Blind and Visually Impaired Children, a local non-profit organization that served young children impacted by vision loss. Linda held the position of Executive Director at Volunteer Services for the Visually Handicapped and has done grant writing for Sojourner Truth House and the Parenting Network. Her other work experience has been in county government where she managed job development programs and evaluated child welfare programs. In addition to Board involvement at Congregation Shalom, Linda served on the Boards of numerous non-profit organizations including the Junior League of Milwaukee, the Foster Care Review Board, Tikkun Ha-Ir, and the Wisconsin Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Linda has two children, Lauren Bell, 22, and Brian Bell, 25. She resides in Fox Point with her husband, James.

Linda can be reached at:
linda@cong-shalom.org

Abby Habush Schroeder, Director of Synagogue Relations

Abby Habush Schroeder, Director of Synagogue Relations of Congregation Shalom, was born in Milwaukee, WI. Abby was raised at Shalom attending Religious School, becoming a Bat Mitzvah, and becoming confirmed. She has returned to her spiritual home in 2005 after leaving COA Youth and Family Centers, where she worked as the Events and Communications Coordinator for four years.

Abby graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communication. She has spent much of her life in journalism and photography, working for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and running a student newspaper at UW-Milwaukee for four years. Abby is currently a board member of the Grafton Education Foundation.

Abby married David Schroeder, a Waukesha native in 2004. They became proud parents to Sophie Isabella in 2005 and Kenzie Tatum in 2010.

Abby can be emailed at:
abby@cong-shalom.org.

Nancy Gorens Edelman, Director of Education

Nancy Gorens-Edelman joined the staff of Congregation Shalom in September of 2011 as our Director of Education. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Nancy brings to the position a broad and diverse background in K-12 public and parochial education. She holds a Master’s Degree in Administrative Leadership and Supervision and a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary and Special Education from the University of Wisconsin. In addition to former experiences as an elementary and middle school principal and K-12 teacher in the Milwaukee area, Kansas City, and suburban Chicago, she has taught music at Shalom and other reform synagogues. Along with directing our education program at Congregation Shalom, Nancy is a special education diagnostician and an assessor for CESA’s Proficiency Based Licensure Program for Teacher Certification.

Nancy’s volunteer experiences are as broad and diverse as her background in education. She has been an active member of our Congregation since 1996, having served as a volunteer on many Shalom committees, most recently as a member of the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee. Her volunteerism extends beyond Congregation Shalom and includes her current positions as a member of the Board of Directors for Jewish Family Services and Advisory Board for Fighting Back. She has donated time to social action groups throughout our community and our synagogue such as St. Ben’s, the Hunger Task Force, Sojourner Truth House, Neighborhood House, Planned Parenthood, and the Democratic Party. She is a past president of the Fox-Point Bayside School Board and member of the former Milwaukee Jewish Council for Community Relations. Her love for music and the arts has led to her involvement with First Stage Children’s Theater, the Skylight Opera Theatre, Congregation Beth Hillel in Kenosha as a guest cantorial soloist, and the Milwaukee Federation Women’s Seder.

Nancy resides in Bayside with her husband, Bob, and, when they are not away at college, her daughters, Elyse and Sari.

Nancy can be emailed at:
nancy@cong-shalom.org.

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