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In Retirement, the Synagogue's 'Face' Seeks a Grandmotherly Role.........posted Sep 11, 2007

By Melissa Apter

Her husband dubs her "the face of the synagogue," a woman who works tirelessly to meet the demands of a congregation.

After 11 years as executive director of Tikvat Israel, Susan Newman will be retiring from her demanding post on Oct. 31.

All throughout that tenure, Susan has been the synagogue's ultimate customer service professional, meeting the needs of congregants collectively and individually and ensuring the warmth of the synagogue is experienced by prospective members and visitors to the building.

Her professional strength, her spouse insists, is her person-to-person connection. "She makes sure...that people are comfortable at synagogue," says Neil Newman. "The face of the synagogue is the person they talk to."

It's that aspect of her position Susan describes as "customer service" -- beginning each day by sifting through dozens of e-mails and promptly returning calls to congregants with the answers they seek (though maybe not always the answer they want to hear). "I try to call everyone back because each congregant's question is important, every congregant is equal," Susan says.

Beyond interacting with the congregants in cyberspace and in the flesh, Susan often works magic behind the scenes - dealing with the demands of the clergy, scheduling simchas big and small, coordinating the work of the custodial staff and, of course, accepting those middle-of-the-night phone calls from the county police when the synagogue's security alarm is accidentally tripped. ("She's never resented people calling at home," insists Neil).

Barbara Katz, who's probably known Susan longer than just about any congregant and has spent the past six years as an office worker at TI, calls the executive director's role "a seven-day-a-week job."

Barbara adds: "Most people have no clue. You just have to work in that office and see. ...Everyday is a challenge."

Handling the logistics of lifecycle events at TI are by far Susan's favorite assignment -- from baby namings and b'nai mitzvot to funerals -- because they allow her to learn about the personal lives of others, something she finds enriching.

A native of Philadelphia, Susan graduated from Penn State University with a degree in elementary education. She met her husband on a blind date arranged by friends Gary and Molla Siegel over a July 4 weekend while Neil was serving in the Naval Reserve. The two married March 26 of the following spring.

The Newmans moved to Maryland in 1972 and joined the local neighborhood synagogue, then Beth Tikva Congregation, in 1976. Susan became involved with synagogue life in various ways - car-pooling her two daughters, Amy Rachel (Small) Newman and Becky Newman Leavey, to and from religious school, serving as chair of the Youth Commission and College Outreach Committee and volunteering as financial secretary on the synagogue board.

For 10 years Susan taught 2- to 4-year-olds at the Silver Spring Learning Center and then taught pre-school for three years at Ohr Kodesh Congregation. She also became involved with the Consolidated Religious School of Greater Washington, a consortium of five Hebrew Schools under one principal and one vice principal, teaching kindergarten on Sunday mornings. Six months later she was hired as the office manager for the school and held that position for 11 years until CRS disbanded in 1996.

As fate would have it, at about the same time the consolidated school folded, Beth Tikva's administrator stepped down and Susan applied for the berth. She assumed the job, which then carried the title of office manager, in November 1996.

Three significant events took place just as Susan stepped into her synagogue role: Rabbi Gorin went on sabbatical, husband Neil became synagogue president (for the second of his two non-consecutive terms) and Beth Tikva merged with Temple Israel of Silver Spring.

Taking it all in stride, Susan worked hard to accommodate both congregations, from making sure that aliyot were distributed evenly to putting out flowers in the board room where the Temple Israel yarthzeit boards were hung. Membership records were merged with the help of an expanded office staff that included three part-time Temple Israel staff members working out of the building's bridal room.

Susan's strong showing of leadership has never come as a surprise to former Tikvat Israel President Shelly Goldin, who describes her friend as "kind, a good listener, a team player, proud of what she does ... and a diplomat."

The synagogue board this fall has arranged a two-month overlap to allow Susan time to impart her warehouse of knowledge about the synagogue operations, the ins and outs of the physical plant and the special needs of congregants with her successor, Michael H. Grossman. He has big shoes to fill despite the smallish stature of the incumbent.

"I am very excited to get the benefit of Susan's knowledge," Grossman said shortly after his appointment.

Susan anticipates a smooth transition, saying that she'll be happy to help Grossman learn the ropes, although admittedly she is looking forward to "not constantly thinking from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep about things that need to be done for the synagogue."

In her retirement, Susan expects to do volunteer work for the synagogue and spend increasing doses of time with her granddaughter, Leora Leavey, 18 months old. Already the Newmans have a baby car seat in one of their vehicles.

Said Susan: "I loved being here and loved doing this job. I learned so much and made many good friends. I will miss the camaraderie."