Daniel Burg
Daniel Cotzin Burg has been senior rabbi of Beth Am Synagogue since July of 2010. Prior to his position at Beth Am, he served at Anshe Emet Synagogue in Chicago. Ordained by the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles (now American Jewish University), he holds an M.A. in Rabbinic Studies and another in Jewish Education from there and a B.A. in Hebrew Studies and Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin.
Rav Daniel is a senior rabbinic fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem and mentors rabbis through the national Clergy Leadership Incubator program (CLI). He previously served on the Maryland Task Force on Reconciliation and Equity. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun, The Chicago Sun-Times, Jewish Philanthropy, the Jewish Review of Books, The Forward, The Times of Israel, Jmore and the Baltimore Jewish Times. He was featured in the Cover Story for Conservative/Masorti Judaism’s international publication (CJ) and in Baltimore Magazine and has appeared in The Atlantic, on MSNBC and other local and national media outlets. He is a contributing author to Am Yisrael Chai: Volume 2: Essays, Poems, and Prayers (Ed. Creditor), Keeping Faith in Rabbis: A Community Conversation about Rabbinical Education (Ed. Herring and Roscher) and Celebrating the Jewish Year: The Spring and Summer Holidays (Ed. Steinberg). He pens the monthly “Baltimore Justice” column for Jmore and blogs at www.theUrbanRabbi.org.
Rabbi Burg has helped to articulate a congregational mission and vision for Beth Am’s community engagement work and “In, For Of, Inc.” a 501(c)3 organization affiliated with Beth Am. He serves on the boards of the Elijah Cummings Youth Program, the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, and formerly the Institute for Islamic, Christian and Jewish Studies (ICJS), the IFO, and Jews United for Justice. He has been a vocal supporter in Annapolis and Baltimore of marriage equality, police reform, environmental justice, legislation to curtail gun violence and other important social and societal issues affecting Beth Am’s city and state.
Rav Daniel lives near Beth Am in the historic Reservoir Hill neighborhood with his wife Rabbi Miriam Cotzin Burg and their two teenagers, Eliyah and Shamir.