she/her/hers

Rabbi Jennie Chabon graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Anthropology and received her Masters of Sacred Music and Investiture from the Jewish Theological Seminary. She joined the clergy team at Congregation B’nai Tikvah in 2004, where she has been proudly serving ever since.

Rabbi Chabon found her path to the pulpit when living in Israel after college graduation, where she discovered a deep love of liturgy and the desire to make prayer accessible to all. She loves davening, exploring the beauty and complexity of Torah, and helping people to wrestle with their relationship with God. She has recorded three albums of Shabbat music with her band, Shir Joy, and is the mother of three beautiful boys: Ezra, Levi and Judah.

Several years ago, Rabbi Chabon felt the call to the rabbinate. This call, and her desire to broaden her learning and expand her ability to guide her congregation, led her to the Academy for Jewish Religion in Los Angeles, where she found inspiring teachers and mentors who are dedicated to pluralistic values and engaging deeply and joyfully with Judaism.

Rabbi Chabon was ordained in 2019, at which time she stepped fully into the role of spiritual leader of B’nai Tikvah.  She looks to guide her community towards a future that cherishes the spirit that makes CBT so sweet and unique, while also helping them to embrace the creative, complex and changing landscape of Bay Area Judaism.

Lori has been a member of CBT for 9 years with her wife, Katie and two children Max and Sarah. She has been involved in membership and fundraising committees, and has served on the CBT Board for over 5 years. Lori currently is the Interim Executive Director for CBT.

Chanel has been a member of the CBT community for over 20 years with her husband, Tracy and two children Aaron and Gracie. Chanel is CBT's Finance Manager.

With over 20 years of experience leading congregational education programs, Sue joined our team in 2023.  Sue holds a BA in Religious Studies from SUNY Stony Brook, an MA in Divinity from the University of Chicago, and a Certifcate in Spiritual Direction from SF Theological Seminary.  Sue is committed to creating playful learning spaces for people of all ages.

Kathy is our Office Specialist. She has been a member of CBT since 2002. Her two sons, Andrew and Nathaniel, both attended religious school  and became Bar Mitzvah at CBT. Kathy has a BS in Business Administration but after graduation continued her education and received K-8 teaching credentials. She taught Kindergarten and 1st grade until the birth of her first son. Kathy also has extensive experience in volunteer work with 11 years of PTA hours logged in positions from president to yearbook coordinator/editor in the K-12 district in Benicia, board positions on the Benicia Education Foundation, and work with students at the teen center in Benicia. Now, serving her community at CBT, Kathy feels a continued connection with what is important in life; family, friends, community.

Office Specialist and Lifelong CBT Member. Tami has been working as an Office Specialist at CBT since 2021, where she handles everything from facilities and rentals to accounting and the daily operations of the office. Her role takes it all in stride, keeping things running smoothly behind the scenes. CBT isn't just a workplace for Tami, it is a big part of her life. She grew up around the community since her parents were some of the very first members to join.  Being a member her whole life, Tami has a strong connection to the people and traditions that make CBT so special to her.

Samantha has been a member of CBT since the age of 4, after her mom discovered the community through "shul shopping." Growing up, she attended religious school, became a bat mitzvah, and served as a madricha. After years of dedication on the board, Samantha now works in the CBT office, managing communications such as emails, the website, and social media. Her lifelong connection to CBT reflects her passion for fostering community and engagement.

Rabbi Asher’s favorite mitzvah is putting up mezuzas in members’ homes. He sees you where you live, and you and your family see him as a life-size, human component of a welcoming community. Since he helped found B’nai Tikvah in 1981 the community has been blessed with solid growth and friends and many joyous occasions, and he has been blessed with wife Jennifer, 2 daughters and a sustaining and purposeful rabbinate.

Rabbi Asher prides himself on getting to know all the religious school children’s names and following their growth and Jewish development with great interest. Together with his honesty, lack of pretense and his non-judgmental respect for all expressions of the Jewish tradition, these have become part of the persona of the whole congregation.

He encourages the exploration of a variety of spiritual paths to Torah, whether through deeds of kindness, study, or prayer. He is a model of rabbinic scholarship in his own writing and study, and encourages Jewish learning at every stage of life. He is active in the Religious School, the Community Midrasha for teens, and in many forms of Adult Education including Torah Study and Adult B’nai Mitzvah. Moreover, he has a widespread reputation for Outreach to intermarried couples and families.

Over the years Rabbi Asher has established a good name and good friends throughout the Contra Costa Faith Community. He currently sits on the Board of the Interfaith Council of which he is immediate Past President, he chairs the “Health and Faith-in-Action Committee,” he sits on the Board of the new Jewish Home in Danville. His efforts have led to a greater support system for elders, a higher priority for Pastoral Care in local hospitals, and a strong advocacy for those struggling with mental illness in the community. Additionally Rabbi Asher is President of the East Bay Council of Rabbis.

B’nai Tikvah as “people of hope” always requires renewed energies to rekindle that hope at every season. Rabbi Asher has been ever-receptive to those energies from wherever they may come and has thereby been our congregation’s magnet of hope.

Stephen Richards was born and raised in New York City. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from New York University, a Master’s Degree in Music Composition from Columbia University, was invested Cantor at the School of Sacred Music of Hebrew Union College and received an Honorary Doctorate of Sacred Music from that institution. He has served on the Board of the American Conference of Cantors, the National Commission on Synagogue Music, and was the Project Director and Editor of Manginot, a Music Curriculum for Jewish Schools, published by the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. He was the cantor/educator of Congregation B’nai Tikvah in Walnut Creek, California from August, 1994 through June, 2000.

Prior to entering the School of Sacred Music, Stephen worked as a composer-arranger in musical theater. After completing his Cantorial studies in 1969 he served congregations in Rochester, New York, and Indianapolis before becoming the Editor of Transcontinental Music Publications and a faculty member of the School of Sacred Music of Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion. He then moved to Phoenix, and served with Temple Beth Israel for eleven years. He has sung with and/or directed Pro Cantione of Phoenix, Chorus Cappella of Northern California and Cantare Con Vivo; directed the music for North Phoenix Corporate Ministry Programs, and was the conductor of the Bay Area Jewish Chorale in San Francisco from 1997 through 1999, and the Atlanta Jewish Choral Festival in 2003.

He was honored in November, 2006 by the Society for Jewish Music as one of the leading composers of Synagogue music in North America. His works have been recorded by the Crakow Symphony Orchestra, the Liverpool Philharmonic and members of the Israel Philharmonic orchestra.

He is married to Marjorie Morse Richards. They have six children and nine grandchildren.