— About Us —
We are a socially, politically, and religiously progressive REFORM congregation in Washington Heights and Inwood and have been a pioneering voice in the Jewish world since 1950. We are LGBTQI and straight folks spanning three generations, practicing a Judaism that's both outside and inside the box.
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Rabbis Emeriti
Dr. Israel R. Margolies, z”l Margaret Moers Wenig
Rabbi Emeritus Rabbi Emerita
1953-1980 1984-2000
Sandy Horowitz
cantor emerita
2014-2024
Sandy Horowitz
Cantor Emerita
Cantor Horowitz served as Beth Am’s cantor from 2014 through her retirement in 2024.
She recounts, “When I was first looking for a congregation back in the early 1990s I saw a listing in the phone book (remember phone books?) and thought to myself, ‘the Peoples Temple’ – sounds like my kind of place!” She has been a member of Beth Am The Peoples Temple ever since, and credits Beth Am as her inspiration and initial training ground for becoming a cantor.
She received Cantorial ordination in 2014 from the Academy for Jewish Religion and has a Masters in Jewish Studies from Gratz College. She twice received the AJR's Rabbi Timoner Award for musical composition. She has worked
with several congregations as a Cantorial soloist and Cantor/Educator, is a writer and composer, and was one of the original developers of the Hebrew School of Beth Am/Hebrew Tabernacle
Cantor Horowitz also enjoys singing Renaissance music along with her husband, musicologist and singer Marty Morell. Their daughter Sara received her doctorate in Political Science from the University of Michigan.
Adam Graubart
Student Rabbi
Adam Graubart (he/his) is a fifth-year rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. From an early age, he developed a passion for how the Jewish people cultivate morality, culture, and connection through study, prayer, acts of kindness, and collective organizing. He earned a B.A. from George Washington University in Human Services and Social Justice with minors in Judaic Studies and Hebrew. Over the past two years, he has served Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in midtown Manhattan.
At Beth Am, The People’s Temple Adam looks forward to connecting with the congregation as he bolsters his skills in sermon writing and delivery and service leadership. During this year, he hopes that Beth Am will feel like a place of insight, a rejuvenating sanctuary, and an incubator for transformational change. In his free time, Adam enjoys cooking, running, reading, attending theater, following Yankees baseball, and exploring new museums and restaurants.
Adrienne Lotto
Cantorial Soloist
Adrienne is a soprano whose passion for
early and contemporary music led her to the
Yale Institute of Sacred Music, where she
earned a Master's degree in 2020.
A native of New Jersey, she grew up in Congregation Agudath Israel and was a member of HaZamir, the international Jewish teen choir,
for 5 years. After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University with a BFA in voice, she worked for two years as a costumed interpreter and singer for the Governor’s Musick, Colonial Williamsburg’s resident Baroque ensemble.